Ties that Bind
by hmc16
Summary: A young girl heads to Charming searching for answers, and SAMCRO is her first stop.
1. Chapter 1

Ties that Bind

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own SOA or any of its characters.

Author's Note: This story is my very first attempt at fanfiction. Any reviews/comments would be greatly appreciated!

As darkness fell in Charming, California, the Friday evening party after "church" at Teller-Morrow Automotive was in full swing. Due to the loud party taking place, no one noticed a woman standing across the street from TM surveying the place with interest. Dressed in black jeans, a blank tank top, and a black leather jacket, she blended into the night. Even in the night, she wore sunglasses, which covered her blazing pale blue eyes from view. Her long auburn hair blew gently in the breeze, and she reached up to tuck some strands of her hair behind her ear. As LeAnn Cross assessed the business across the street from where she stood, she knew she had to bide her time. A controlled anger surged through her veins, as she checked her text messages once again. A clue to the past, a past she knew absolutely nothing about or who she really was, now in her hand: "The answers to your past are in Charming, California. Seek out SAMCRO."

When LeAnn received this message from an unidentified person (though she had her suspicions of who it was), her instincts immediately believed it to be a setup. LeAnn had recently been in trouble with the law along with her parents, which she found out recently weren't her real parents at all. Her adoptive mother finally let it slip that LeAnn wasn't hers, and LeAnn's suppressed anger toward her and the abusive bastard that was her adoptive father had ignited (hence the trouble with the law). But the curiosity and desperation to locate her real family finally won out, and LeAnn had headed to California, assuming the last name Cross as she had no idea what her actual last name was. She had no clue what a "SAMCRO" was either, but as soon as she arrived in Charming, it hadn't been that difficult to figure out. She now stood across from the place that supposedly held answers for her, and yet she couldn't bring herself to go any further. The thoughts in her mind were a jumble of questions: _who were her real parents? Why wasn't she with them her whole life?_ Her eyes gazed upon this place, and she saw the people milling about outside, smoking and drinking. She also saw the scantily clad women hanging all over some of the men dressed in black leather. Her lip curled in disgust upon seeing these women. _Pathetic_ _sluts_, she thought. LeAnn shook her head and realized there was no way she was walking into that place now. Hell, they were probably all intoxicated anyway, and she doubted she would be able to glean any information from anyone at this point. She decided to make her presence known the next morning. As LeAnn turned to walk away from TM and find a place in town to stay for the night, she ran directly into a solid structure. Apparently, her surveillance of TM hadn't gone unnoticed.

LeAnn took a quick step back and surveyed the man in front of her. He was much taller than her and had curly dark hair that seemed very unruly. He wore black jeans and a blue button down shirt, complete with a leather cut, wallet chain, and a knife strapped to his thigh. LeAnn glanced at the cut he wore, which had patches that read: Sergeant at Arms on one side, and Redwood Original on the other. But as LeAnn took stock of the man's face, what made her blood run cold were his eyes. Piercing blue, they seemed to gaze right into her and see her very soul. LeAnn swallowed hard and tried to force herself to calm down. He hadn't even done anything to her, yet.

She murmured softly, "Excuse me," and turned to walk away from him. A split second later, she felt his hand clamp down on her wrist. "Something I can help you with, doll? You seem mighty interested in our place," the man stated coldly. LeAnn felt anger rise in her, no man ever touched her. She made damn certain of that after… no, LeAnn clamped down on that memory. LeAnn pulled her arm out of his grasp, and he seemed momentarily startled by her action. "No, I don't need any help. I'm just looking around," LeAnn stated icily. She turned once again and walked away quickly, before the man could grab her again. To her surprise, he let her walk away from him. LeAnn felt upset and angry; the last thing she wanted was to be noticed yet. She wanted to find answers, but she needed to be cautious, as well. She decided to stay at the nearest hotel and headed to her car, which was parked a couple of blocks away. As she continued to walk, she felt the man's eyes boring into her back, but LeAnn didn't turn back. _Tomorrow_, she promised herself, _tomorrow I find answers_.

Tig Trager, Sergeant at Arms for the Sons of Anarchy, stood out in front of TM, smoking a cigarette. He watched the little brown haired bitch walk away from him. She had fire, he had to give her that. He had heard it in her voice when she pulled away from him. Being SAA meant he had to be watchful at all times, and seeing the girl standing in front of the place for so long unnerved him. Could she be ATF? She didn't look old enough, but one never knew. However, his investigation of the situation got him nowhere, except seeing the attitude of the girl in full force. He shouldn't have let her walk away, but something about her caught him off guard. As he headed back in and grabbed a shot of whiskey from the bar and eyed the Crow Eaters milling around, he thought, _tomorrow, I'll find out what is going on with our new friend in town, and she won't walk away from me as easily this time_.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Order up!" the owner of the diner in the kitchen shouted to the waitress. LeAnn stared down at the food that had been placed under her nose by the smiling waitress. "Eat up, darling!" she smiled at her. LeAnn picked up her fork and began picking at her food. Her nerves were frayed from just being in this town. After a rough night's sleep at the local motel, she wandered into this diner for breakfast. She had her sunglasses on again to cover the sleep deprived state she was in. Deep down, she knew she was prolonging her journey to T-M. She couldn't understand why she was doing this to herself. She wanted the truth, supposedly it lay directly in front of her, and yet she hesitated. She knew that she didn't want to be disappointed again. She remembered how upset she was at her adoptive mother for keeping this big of a secret about her life.

Flashback: They had been literally screaming at each other, LeAnn accusing her of being a horrible mother to never stop her father from hurting them, and her mother Diane screaming back that she just couldn't understand how much pressure her father was under. In the heat of the fight, Diane blurted out, "You're not our real daughter anyway! Why should I care what you really think?" LeAnn was too shell shocked to even respond, but her mother instantly became frightened and starting muttering, "No, he'll kill me now for telling.." LeAnn ran forward and grabbed her mother, "What in the hell did you just say? You're not my real mother! Then who the hell is, and who will kill you if you tell?" Her mother just shook her head with wide eyes, and LeAnn's anger resurfaced with a vengeance. "If you ever loved me, then tell me the truth! After all I've gone through with Dad and you, you OWE ME THIS!" The front door slammed and her father stepped into the house. "What do we have here?" he leered drunkenly and stepped over to them. Both women turned to the voice, and as her father descended upon her, LeAnn knew she would act this time.

End flashback: LeAnn's moment of memory was broken when she heard someone sit down right beside her. She turned quickly to assess the stranger. Only her eyes fell on the man she had literally ran into last night. LeAnn was feeling a little pissed off and reckless because this guy obviously wasn't going away. She didn't really blame him, she had been spying and then was still in town the next morning. She would have been suspicious of herself too in his position. LeAnn suddenly noticed the diner had gotten very quiet as soon as this man entered. _Okay, this outta be fun_. LeAnn stood quickly and threw some money on the counter. The waitress looked startled, and LeAnn merely stated, "I've lost my appetite, thanks again though." LeAnn got about a foot past the man before he grabbed her arm and growled into her ear, frustration clearly evident in his voice, "Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?" LeAnn looked him right in the eyes and snarled back, "I was eating breakfast before you barged in here and got all up in my face. And to answer your first question, that is absolutely none of your damn business!" The waitress watched this interaction nervously and thought that this girl was just asking to get her face smacked. Tig Trager was not a man to be taken lightly. However, her boss came up and said, "You two need to take this outside, please. You're making the customers nervous. Sorry, Tig."

LeAnn had never been one for subtlety. It wasn't one of her finer points. Plus, the fact that the owner of the diner was apologizing to Tig got under her skin. She smirked at Tig and said, "Your name's Tig? Like Tigger from _Winnie the Pooh_. Is he your hero or something?" There was a collective groan from the waitress and her boss, and everyone tensed to see Tig's reaction. He smiled coldly at her and pulled her with him from the restaurant. As he pulled her along with him, LeAnn got a better look at the back of his cut. The reaper on the back seemed to be staring at her sinisterly, a warning of what was about to come. _I think I made a big mistake here_. Once outside, she tried to pull away again, but Tig wasn't letting go this time. Her heart was hammering in her chest. In the back of her mind, she realized she could be trying to get information from this guy since he was in SAMCRO. But anger and the fact that the guy had followed her was overriding those rational thoughts. Tig grabbed the sunglasses she wore, so he could see her whole face. He stepped back and let go of her, causing LeAnn to stumble. "What the hell?" she snarled. He was staring at her like he had seen a ghost.

Tig nearly fell over in shock. The girl who stood before him was nearly the spitting image of Gemma's sister, Laura. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it before. Granted, he hadn't seen her eyes until now, and it had been dark the first time he had laid eyes on her. He honestly didn't know how to react to this situation. Who was this woman standing before him who looked exactly like her? It had to be a stupid coincidence, and he steeled off the emotion and shock that had arisen in him and prepared to deliver a warning to this bitch. She just kept giving him more attitude, and it was getting old. The girl looked incredibly pissed off, and yelled at him, "Who the hell do you think you are?" Tig didn't have time to think, he leaned forward and grabbed her arm again and decided to try for some shock value to see how she reacted, but before he could get a word in, a woman's voice called, "Now, this looks none too friendly. Maybe an assault charge is in store for you, Mr. Trager?"

LeAnn and Tig both looked for the source of the voice, and Tig wasn't at all surprised to see Agent June Stahl, standing in a crisp pants suit, smirking at him. Tig stepped back and sneered at Stahl, "Nothing for you to worry about, bitch." Stahl's smirk vanished and her gaze turned to the girl next to Tig, as she attempted to be incredibly nice (an amazing stretch for her). "I'm Agent Stahl of the ATF, why don't you come with me, honey?" Tig was surprised to see the girl next to him stiffen suddenly. LeAnn decided to use this opportunity to get out of this situation before it escalated further, and the fact that she wanted no part of the cops since there was inherent danger in anyone figuring out what she had done. She quickly turned away from Tig, and smiled at Stahl, "No, everything is fine here, just a little misunderstanding," LeAnn couldn't keep the edge out of her voice at the end of her sentence. Stahl's kindness toward the girl vanished instantly. LeAnn saw the change in her expression and quickly decided to head this bitch off, knowing this wouldn't end if she didn't, "There won't be any assault charges, sweetheart. Now if you will both excuse me, I'd like to be going," and she turned and walked away. She headed to her car that was parked further down the street. As she reached into her purse to grab her keys, she felt someone grab her purse out of her grasp. "Hey!" she whipped around and wasn't surprised to see Tig standing there again. But she was startled when he grabbed her cell phone out of her purse before throwing her purse to the ground. LeAnn reached for the phone, but Tig swatted her hands away.

"Maybe I will press charges or have you arrested for robbery, you jackass," LeAnn snapped at Tig. Tig snorted slightly as he pressed buttons on her phone, "Yeah right, I can tell you didn't want that bitch around just as much as I did. She left anyways." LeAnn opened her mouth to fire back, but Tig's eyes flew up to hers, "seek out SAMCRO," he murmured. She knew what he had seen, the text message.

"Well, guess what, you're going to get what you wanted," Tig sneered at her, "Let's go. We're going to the shop, so you can find your answers and you can get the fuck out of this town," Tig coldly informed her. LeAnn stiffened at his voice, especially the way he had sneered the word _answers_ at her. He grabbed her arm once again, and LeAnn's eyes flickered down to where his hand was on her arm. She sighed to herself, thinking that she would be lucky to leave this town without her entire arms being black and blue, the way this was going.

Her anger started to evaporate because she just was so overwhelming frustrated with the entire situation and her life. Her eyes fell on his cut once again. "What is a Sergeant at Arms?" she whispered without even realizing she spoke out loud. Tig heard her though and brought his face close to hers, "It means I'm the person that makes damn sure everyone does what they are told, and if they don't…" The unspoken threat hung heavily in the air. LeAnn looked directly into Tig's eyes and met his intimidating stare without flinching. She had arrived in Charming last night determined to find her family, but fear and uncertainty now resided firmly in her mind. The emotional extremes she went through and the situations she had been in the past few weeks, her supposed parents not being her real parents, running away, getting the text, and her encounters with Tig, were draining her. _What if this is a dead end? What if the text was a lie? I shouldn't have come here at all. _LeAnn wasn't sure she could bring herself to face everything that went along with stepping foot onto T-M's property. Granted, she wasn't a weak woman by any stretch of the imagination, but LeAnn was now vulnerable, and that very fact scared her more than life itself.

She looked hard at Tig and stated, "Do not threaten me." There was no malice or attitude in the statement. She merely stated it like a fact. Tig let go of her, but didn't remove himself from her personal space, "What's your name? Come on, just tell me. We'll find out anyway." LeAnn just whispered back, "LeAnn."

Tig nodded. "All right, LeAnn. Let's go. I'm taking you to see our club president, and here's your other option: You either get in your car, and I'll follow you to the shop or I'll tie you to the back of my bike. Either way, you're going."

"If that's my choice, I'll drive my car, thanks for the wonderful offer." Tig just nodded again, smirking slightly and waited for her to get into her car. As she drove to the shop with Tig on his bike following her closely, LeAnn prepared herself for the ordeal that was ahead. _This was going to be interesting_, she thought grimly.

TBC

Author's Note: I tried to make this chapter a little bit longer, but they are pretty much "establishing" chapters. In the next (longer) chapter, LeAnn will meet the rest of the crew and her whole back story will be revealed. I know Gemma doesn't have a sister, but for the purpose of this story, she does. Please review and let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

LeAnn stood in the clubhouse of the Sons of Anarchy, feeling slightly disconcerted. When she arrived at the clubhouse, she had been taken directly by Tig inside, and he had told her to "sit her ass down and not move." LeAnn sat down at one of the bar stools and drummed her fingers on the bar, surveying the place. It wasn't so bad. There was a pool table, and of course, the fully-stocked bar. LeAnn did note with some disgust there was a stripper pole in the corner though. She reached down and grabbed a beer and opened it. It was too early to be drinking (and she was too young in the first place), but it was five o'clock somewhere.

She heard voices coming from outside nearing the door, which opened revealing a woman wearing high heels and a tight fitting dress. She was following another woman, who was tight lipped and angry and also seemed to be trying to ignore her. "Jax wants me, Tara, he slept with me! I can't help he likes me more than you."

LeAnn snorted into her beer. She had seen this woman's type many times before in her life. She had some looks, but as far as brains went, pretty scarce in that department. The woman turned and noticed her and said snidely, "Well, there must be a new professional cock sucker in town. Sorry honey but Jax is mine, no matter what this bitch says," as she indicated the woman LeAnn assumed was named Tara, "any of the others though you are welcome to." LeAnn saw Tara take a step closer to the woman and open her mouth, but LeAnn was closer and faster. She was off the bar stool in a second, and her fist was in the bitch's face the next second. The punch was hard, but LeAnn was wearing her rings, so that made it even worse. The bitch was caught off guard by the punch and fell on her ass.

Just as the bitch was about to get up, Tig and several other Sons entered the clubhouse. The bitch on the floor yelled pitifully at one of the Sons, "Jax, this little bitch punched me in the face for no reason!" LeAnn just looked down at her in disgust, "I had plenty of reasons, and you just keep giving me more. First off, I am not a "professional cock sucker" as you so referred to it, but it sure looks like you are one if you ask me. Probably all you can succeed at in life. Secondly, you were clearly upsetting Tara," she turned quickly and glanced back at Tara, who gave her a quick nod and a small smile. "And again, you insulted me, which is never a smart move." LeAnn was about to order her to get the fuck out, but realized quickly she may have already overstepped by a lot. Maybe she had misunderstood the situation, and this bitch was well liked in the club. However, LeAnn realized that wasn't the case when the Son that the little bitch had been addressing stepped forward and said dangerously, "Why are you even here causing problems? Ima, get the fuck out of here. I'm with Tara, get over it. I don't know how many times I can say it. This is your last warning." Ima looked fearfully at the group of Sons and picked herself up and slunk out the door.

Tara touched LeAnn's shoulder, causing her to turn once again to her. The two women shared a small smile, before Tara thanked her for the help. "Well, you probably would have been able to handle it yourself, but she really pissed me off. Next time, I'll let you punch her," LeAnn stated quietly to Tara, who laughed at LeAnn's generous offer. Tara quickly excused herself and kissed Jax's cheek quickly as she exited the clubhouse. "Let me know if you need anything," she said to Jax.

LeAnn was now alone with the group of Sons, and she began to feel a little nervous. She glanced around uneasily and began to twist her hair around her finger, out of nervous habit. One of the older men moved forward, and LeAnn noticed his cut stated that he was President. _Ah, so here is the guy Tig said he was taking me to._ "My Sergeant at Arms tells me you have been spying and are hanging around town. So, who the hell are you, and what do you want? And you better not lie to me. And if you're a cop, you will be leaving right now."

LeAnn looked at him and realized she couldn't get her attitude going here. With just Tig, she mouthed off but backed off in a reasonable amount of time (at least in her mind). In this situation, she was clearly outnumbered. She opted for the truth or at least part of it. She wouldn't allow the Sons to know what she had done yet, until she felt she could trust them. "My name is LeAnn. I just found out that my real parents are my adoptive parents, and I ran away from home. I got the text that I'm sure Tig told you about, and here I am." There, that was enough information to keep them happy and still keep some information secret.

One of the younger Sons stepped forward and pulled his laptop out. He sat down at a table and began typing. "What were your parents' names, doll? Clay, I'll run a quick background check on them and her, just to make sure," this Son stated as he looked over at her expectantly. LeAnn didn't reply and stared down at the ground. Nobody said anything for a moment, and then Clay said, "What cat got your tongue? Tell Juice their names now!" LeAnn started shaking and just shook her head firmly, as she stared at the floor. Suddenly, the door opened and another woman entered saying, "Clay, I need your signature on this…" and LeAnn lifted her head and looked right at her, and she looked back.

"My God… No, it can't be."

"I know, Gemma. I thought she looked like Laura too. But there's no way and you know it," Tig said softly.

"Who's Laura?" LeAnn said quickly. Gemma came closer to LeAnn and really studied her face. LeAnn started to pull away, but stilled when she looked closer at Gemma. She felt a strange connection to her, like she was safe with her and could trust her. She couldn't explain this feeling at all, it had arisen from nowhere. She had felt it as soon as Gemma had walked into the room. _What is up with that?_, she wondered.

"Laura Maddock was my younger sister. You look exactly like her. She had a baby girl a little over 18 years ago, but the baby died at birth." Gemma studied her reaction to this information. LeAnn shook her head, "I never knew anyone named Laura, as my mother or otherwise. But on the other hand, the math works. I'm about that age too."

LeAnn could tell that Gemma was holding something back about Laura. "Were you close to your sister?"

"Who raised you?" Gemma asked, completely ignoring LeAnn's question. LeAnn looked at Gemma, the Sons in the room didn't exist for her anymore. She could see strength and a hardness in Gemma that she knew to respect, Gemma did have that "aura" about her, but she also sensed a deep love for those she cared about. LeAnn was an observant woman. She often would watch people to read their emotions, and she excelled at it. LeAnn whispered, "I can't tell you. I have to think about myself."

"Is someone after you?" Gemma asked.

"The cops could be." LeAnn noticed everyone in the room stiffen when she mentioned the cops. LeAnn looked up at Gemma again, pleading with her eyes. _Please don't make me go through this again, _she thought_. _Gemma touched LeAnn's face and whispered, "Just tell us. You'll feel better when you do."

"Tell us everything. You're not going anywhere until you do, sweetheart." Clay said sternly and without the kindness that Gemma had displayed. LeAnn knew this was absolutely true. The Sons were blocking the only way out, the door to the clubhouse. Attitude here would go nowhere she knew that already, and she couldn't get past all of them. The truth was the only course available to her, not that she liked it at all. Maybe she could trust these people to help her. Gemma at least looked like she cared about her. It was worth a shot. Maybe she could trust Gemma.

She took a deep breath and out poured the story. "The people who raised me were horrible parents. My mom wasn't so bad, but my dad was an abusive, drunken bastard. The things he did to me, I don't even want to remember, so don't even ask for me to tell you about it because I won't. I was planning to go away to college, but my mom wanted me to stay. Obviously, there was no way in hell I would with that abusive drunk in the house. We were really tearing into each other, more than we ever had before. Then she said I wasn't her kid. She got all scared then, muttering about how someone would kill her since she told me. I think she meant my dad, but I'm not certain. Then my dad came home. I honestly believed what my mom said. I never felt like I belonged with them at all. I could tell he was drunk, and I knew what would happen. I just was so angry, for the lies and all the abuse. I just kept seeing in my mind, flashes of everything he did to me over the years. But at that moment, he didn't even touch me, but I think he was coming towards me. It's all so fuzzy and jumbled now. I can't remember exactly what happened. I just grabbed one of the really heavy decorative statues my mom always had sitting on her mantle, and I hit him over the head with it as hard as I could. He fell down, and he didn't get back up. I just stood over him holding it. There was blood on the statue and my dad's head. My mom started screaming and screaming that he was dead, and she was calling the police. It was an unprovoked attack. It wasn't self-defense.

"I just got scared. I grabbed my stuff, and I left the house. I mean, I think he's dead that's what my mom was screaming, but I don't know for sure. I didn't check his pulse. What scared me the most is I lost control. I've never lost it like that before. I was afraid I could get charged with murder or assault, plus with some of my other minor convictions, it just didn't look good. I left town and was figuring out where to go, so I wouldn't get caught by the cops. Then I got the text message. I have no idea who sent it. Maybe my mom, but I'm not positive. I begged her to tell me the truth before my dad came home, and it looked like she might. But she has this weird pathetic need to be with my dad and protect him. So, I'm not sure what she did and didn't do. I don't know what she told the cops, but I didn't want to take the chance. I mean, I'm sure I could make a case for self-defense, but she was the only eyewitness, and I have no idea what she told them. That's why I'm avoiding the cops, and that's why I'm worried that this could be a setup to get me caught. You know, get me to go somewhere where they have decided on in advance."

"Their names?" Gemma whispered. "Mark and Diane Miller." LeAnn responded.

LeAnn had been staring at the floor the whole time she spoke, and she hadn't seen anyone's reaction to her story. She raised her head and looked at the Sons. She saw sympathy in their faces, and then LeAnn turned her attention back to Gemma. She looked sympathetic, but there was something else in her expression too that LeAnn couldn't exactly place. "Wait a minute. If you don't mind me asking, you said Laura's baby died. How did the baby die?"

Gemma looked thoughtfully at LeAnn, "Laura left town after, well… an incident, and she decided to have the baby elsewhere, not in Charming. When she came back, she didn't have the baby with her, and she said it died at birth." LeAnn knew there was way more to that part of the story. _An incident? What happened?_

"Are you kidding me? Where did she go during that time? Who was she with? Why did she leave? Did she talk to you about the baby?" LeAnn asked incredulously. No one said anything for a long moment, but Gemma leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Only trusted family members know about Laura, and that is the way it will stay. I'm not about to talk about my sister's past with a complete stranger."

"I just unloaded my whole past to you without too much difficulty. Turnabout is fair play," LeAnn snapped.

Gemma said slowly, "No one _forced_ you to say anything. You chose to tell us. However, I protect my family and its secrets at all costs." _Whoa, maybe I misjudged this lady. She obviously is a force to be reckoned with. I thought she was being sympathetic, but maybe she was trying to play me. I'm going to have to be more careful around her_, LeAnn thought_._

LeAnn thought of another question, since nobody wanted to answer her first questions with any valuable information, "Who was the baby's father?" This question was met with absolute dead silence. If she thought she wasn't going to get an answer before, she definitely wasn't now. Gemma's lips pursed, and LeAnn realized she had hit a very sore subject. She saw several of the Sons shift on their feet uncomfortably, and she wondered what was going on, but Juice interrupted, "Well, I'll run the background checks on you and your adoptive parents," like nothing had been talked about since he first asked her about her parents' names. Maybe he was just trying to cut the tension in the room.

Gemma suddenly looked businesslike, "I need to know whether or not you are Laura's daughter first. Normally, I probably would just tell you to fuck off, but you're the right age, and I can't ignore the fact you are her spitting image. I will say this though, my sister wasn't known for being truthful. If you are her daughter, then clearly something else happened the night she gave birth to her baby, and she didn't tell us the whole story. So, let's settle that first. I want you and me to take a DNA test. It should at least show that we have some common markers. Or I can try to find something of Laura's with her DNA for a comparison."

"Fine. I just want to know what the hell is going on. But what about Laura? What happened to her after her baby supposedly died?" LeAnn asked.

Gemma looked for a moment like she didn't want to answer, but she surprised LeAnn by saying, "Laura had some… problems, and she didn't live long after her baby died." LeAnn knew there was much more to that too, but she didn't want to push yet._ If I am her daughter, then I will get the truth out of them about what really happened to her. There are too many holes in this story to ignore._ Gemma seemed to sense the direction of her thoughts, "I won't tell you about Laura's life until we have the DNA test results back, and that is final. I already told you I protect my family at all costs."

"I'm sorry," LeAnn whispered because she really couldn't think of a response to Gemma's statement. LeAnn looked quickly over at Juice and said, "Run the background checks, but I don't want anyone to know I'm here. But see if you can discreetly find out if my adoptive dad is really dead or not, and what my mother said to the police. Might be good to know, so I can make future plans." Juice looked shocked at her giving him an order and so did Clay. However, Clay said to Juice, "Get moving on those background checks." He looked over at Jax and said, "Get Tara to run the DNA tests on Gemma and this girl. The rest of us, church now."

The guys sat in church staring down at the table. Clay looked at a complete loss. Everyone was uncomfortable, and finally Jax said that he would go to the hospital to see how things were going, and he had the others leave the chapel, which Clay agreed to. Juice was running the background checks, and Tara had taken Gemma and LeAnn to the hospital to run a discreet DNA test. Clay, Tig, and Bobby all looked uneasy. Clay finally said, "You do know if this DNA test comes back positive, we'll have more to run."

Tig shook his head firmly, "It isn't possible, Clay. Laura's kid died. End of story."

"And what about the fact that she looks exactly like Laura?" Clay asked.

Tig shrugged, "Coincidence."

Bobby spoke up quickly in response to Tig's statement, "And what about the fact that we all know what Laura was like, before and after she was pregnant." Bobby looked uncomfortable again, looking over at Clay and Tig, "We all know what happened the night the baby was conceived," he said quietly.

Tig just said again, "It isn't possible." It seemed to be his refrain lately. Clay shook his head, "Let's just worry about the first DNA test, and then we'll go from there. I'm not dredging all of that shit up again if I don't have to." Nothing else was said, but nobody moved. The three men sat at the table, looking down at the reaper carved into the wood, each deeply lost in their own thoughts.

TBC

Author's Note: I know I am taking some liberties here, especially as far as storyline goes (i.e. Jax, Tara, and Ima), but I'll explain that as I go. I couldn't resist throwing Ima in here. I can't stand her, so it seemed fitting she would get punched in the face. :) Please review and let me know what you think. I'm haven't written fanfiction before, so any feedback would be welcome! Do you like the story? Any suggestions? You'll find out more about LeAnn's real parents in the coming chapters along with the DNA tests, I promise!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

LeAnn sat at one of the picnic tables outside the Sons' clubhouse smoking a cigarette. After Tara had taken Gemma's and her DNA samples, Gemma had said she would be coming with her and staying at the clubhouse until the results came back. LeAnn initially balked, wanting to keep some distance between everyone concerned, but Gemma just said flatly, "You're staying where I can keep a close eye on you." So, here she sat. Gemma had work to do in the office, and the Sons were working on vehicles in the shop. Juice had mentioned he was waiting on the police report information from Dayton, Ohio (where she used to live) and background checks, but LeAnn didn't find she much cared about the background checks. She wasn't lying about her past. However, she was concerned about the police report. She argued with herself that finding answers was worth it, but LeAnn felt this wasn't going at all like she hoped. Of course, maybe her expectations had been way off base in the first place. What did she think would happen, that one of them would say, "You're my long lost kid!" and everyone would be happy and embrace her as a member of the family? Reality had a way of biting you on the ass though. Now, she may or may not be the daughter of someone that had a connection to Gemma with an unknown father. But what bothered her most were the secrets about this woman, Laura.

LeAnn felt like a complete outsider, but she knew that the Sons could potentially be an ally that she might need. That was one of the reasons she was staying here, well that and she wanted the truth. But the stares she was getting were making her uncomfortable, especially from Clay, Tig, and Bobby. Gemma had taken the liberty of introducing LeAnn to the rest of the Sons when they returned from the hospital. Everyone else seemed fairly friendly, but the three of them kept staring at her with strange looks on their faces, and LeAnn couldn't figure out what their deal was. The whole situation sucked, but LeAnn resigned herself to the fact that she was stuck here in DNA limbo for a while.

LeAnn almost wished she could have stayed at the hospital longer with Tara. LeAnn and Tara seemed to have developed an instant understanding. Tara had been so kind to her at the hospital, but LeAnn wondered if it was because she had done Tara an immense favor punching Ima out. Regardless, LeAnn wished she could have spent more time with her. She seemed like a kind and caring woman who was intelligent, something that was sadly lacking in the women who hung around the clubhouse, who glared at her because she was a new face.

A man's voice penetrated her thoughts. "Hi, who are you?" as a man came walking up to her. _What in the hell?_ LeAnn wondered. The first thing LeAnn noticed about him was the fact he only had his two index fingers, but otherwise he looked fairly normal, if not a little eccentric. "I'm LeAnn. Who are you?"

"I'm Chucky," he told her happily. "I would shake your hand, but…"

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your hands?" LeAnn asked.

"Oh, um, well that's a long story, but mostly it's because I have an impulse control problem. I used to um…you know, a lot," he said, making motions with his hand, "And the people I worked for weren't too fond of it. This was their solution."

"Oh, I get it. But that's a little harsh. Did these guys do that to you?" LeAnn asked.

"Oh no, the Sons took me in, so now I work at the garage and help out with whatever. I just saw you sitting over here by yourself, and you looked a little sad. Actually, the Son who stuck up for me was Tig. Do you know him?" Chucky asked.

"Oh yeah, I know him. He's the one who brought me here. I'm not sure I like him so much, considering everything that has happened since," LeAnn said thoughtfully, taking a long drag off her cigarette and crushing it out.

"I accept that," Chucky told her. LeAnn was about to reply, when she noticed a dark Crown Vic pull into the parking lot and stopping in front of the garage. A woman in a pants suit and a man in a Sheriff's uniform got out, and LeAnn recognized that it was Agent Stahl, whom she had met when she and Tig were having their "disagreement." The other man looked younger, maybe a deputy here in Charming. LeAnn felt alarm bells go off in her head. The last thing she wanted was to be noticed by that bitch. She watched as Clay came out to talk to her, and she could tell the conversation wasn't going well at all. LeAnn moved quickly behind the side of the garage and out of sight. Chucky looked startled, but he moved so he was blocking LeAnn further from view. LeAnn heard Stahl raise her voice and say that she would be taking Clay down to the station for questioning. _Questioning for what?_ LeAnn wondered. As Clay was lead to the car, LeAnn stepped out a little to watch. She just couldn't help it, and only after she did it, did she realize her own stupidity. Agent Stahl looked up and saw her standing behind Chucky. She froze for a moment, clearly recognizing LeAnn from earlier but did nothing but get back into her car and drive off with Clay in the back seat.

As the Crown Vic pulled out of the lot, LeAnn walked quickly into the garage. Tig and Gemma and the other Sons were standing around talking quietly. "What was that about?" LeAnn questioned suddenly. Tig moved closer to her and said, "Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about." LeAnn moved away from him and saw Jax was now whispering quietly to Gemma. Gemma turned and went into the office, and LeAnn walked toward Jax. He motioned for her to follow him outside. "Hey, don't worry about that. It's nothing. Stahl is just trying to get something on SAMCRO," Jax reassured her softly.

"Yeah, I know. I had a run in with her earlier. Tig and I were arguing, and she was threatening to arrest him. I hope she doesn't put anything together regarding me and Dayton."

"Naw, she won't, don't worry about that. Hey, you know, I've been meaning to talk to you anyway. If this DNA test comes back positive, it would mean we're cousins. How would you feel about that?" LeAnn looked closer at Jax, who was giving her a small smile. She hadn't really thought through the actual implications of being Laura's daughter, but now, looking at Jax, she actually wanted it to be true. Her prior family life had been utter misery, and maybe things could be different here. She returned his smile, "I would like that, Jax. You seem like a nice guy."

He laughed. "Well, after seeing you punch out that bitch for Tara, I would say you would fit in nicely around here. Tara should be coming with the DNA test results soon, and she said she would be bringing my son Abel along. I'd like for you to meet him. Not to brag or anything, but he is a great kid. You'd like him." LeAnn nodded, "I'm sure I would."

The timing couldn't have been more perfect. At that moment, Tara pulled in with her vehicle. She got out and unstrapped a baby boy from the back seat and headed over to them. LeAnn felt her heart begin to pound loudly in her chest. _The moment of truth_, she thought. Tara came over and handed Jax his son. The baby boy was adorable, LeAnn had to admit that. He gurgled and smiled up at Jax, pulling on his blonde hair. LeAnn turned her attention back to Tara, who gave her a small smile and pulled a lab report in an envelope from her purse. Gemma, Tig, and Bobby came out from the garage, having seen Tara pull up. LeAnn saw them standing close enough to hear the conversation, so she looked at Tara and said, "Let's get this over with. Am I Laura's daughter or not?"

Tara opened the lab report and looked over the results. She looked up at LeAnn and Gemma and nodded. "Yes, according to these results, LeAnn, you are the biological daughter of Laura Maddock and an untested male. Gemma gave me some samples of Laura's DNA too that she had from some old things of hers, just to be sure. But it would have been enough just going off of yours and her DNA alone. There is a clear genetic relationship between the two of you. This test leaves no doubt."

LeAnn couldn't even process this information; she was in a state of shock. Laura Maddock, a woman LeAnn had never met and would never be able to know, was her biological mother. She turned and looked at Gemma, Tig, and Bobby. She was about to say something snide like, "Oh, her baby died at birth, huh?" But their faces stopped her. Their expressions were very similar to her own, complete and utter shock. LeAnn turned back to Jax, who seemed to be taking this a lot better than everyone else. He smiled kindly at her and said, "Well, it looks like you are my cousin after all. Welcome to the family." LeAnn's eyes fell on the baby in Jax's arms. _This is my family now, if they want me. Gemma's my aunt, Clay is my uncle, Jax is my cousin, and this little baby is something like my first cousin once removed._

"Can I hold him, Jax? Just for a minute." Jax saw the expression on LeAnn's face and nodded. He handed LeAnn the baby, and Abel looked up at her with a smile. "Hi Abel. I'm LeAnn," LeAnn whispered to him, with tears in her eyes. The baby just looked up at her with wide eyes. LeAnn walked away a few steps with Abel in her arms and held him tightly to her. She didn't want the others to see her this upset. She cradled Abel in her arms and cried softly. She didn't know where these emotions were coming from, but it was overwhelming for her. LeAnn supposed it was the fact that she had been lied to her whole life, and now she had been handed a new family, complete with this beautiful, innocent baby as a relative. Abel shifted in her arms and grabbed her hair, just like he had with Jax. LeAnn composed herself and smiled down at Abel. Her mind shifted now to what comes next. LeAnn carefully handed Abel back to Jax, and whispered to him, "That's a sweet little boy you have there, Jax." Jax reached out with his free arm and pulled LeAnn against him. "It's okay," he murmured as he tried to comfort her, realizing how upset she was.

LeAnn gave him a small smile in thanks and then pulled away and stepped toward Gemma. She swallowed down the emotions she was feeling and got down to business. "All right. It's established. I'm her kid. Nobody fucked with the test results, so you can't blame it on any shit like that. Now, what happened to Laura? How did she die? Why did she lie about the baby? And I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess one of you guys is my biological father. So, which one of you is it?

It was Gemma who responded first. But she wasn't even looking at LeAnn, more off into the street beyond the parking lot when she spoke. "That little lying slut," Gemma snarled and then turned and walked back into the clubhouse. LeAnn was startled by Gemma's sudden departure and felt a surge of anger ripple through her. "I want some answers, damn it. I think I'm entitled to some!" LeAnn yelled in utter frustration.

"You'll get answers, sweetheart. But what you have to understand is the relationship between Gemma and her sister was really complicated, and it didn't end well for anyone concerned. You might not be able to understand what really happened. It wasn't exactly pretty, starting when Laura first came to town," Bobby stated quietly.

Tig shot Bobby a warning look, which wasn't missed by LeAnn. For some reason, it pissed LeAnn off fiercely. _They are still going to give me the runaround_, she thought angrily. "Is the big bad Sergeant at Arms just going to stand there now and not say anything at all? You're the one who opened this can of worms, so don't blame me. You brought me here, and now you all are going to have to deal with this. I want the goddamn truth!"

Tig moved forward suddenly and grabbed LeAnn roughly by the arms and started shaking her. "I didn't bring you here because I wanted to, and you know it. It was pretty clear you were going to sneak around and hide out until you found something you could use."

"I was never going to…" LeAnn started to say, but Tig cut across her without missing a beat, "Why not come right out and ask if you wanted to know so fucking bad? No, instead you were sneaking around, and I caught you. You may not have known her, but guess what, you are acting just like your fucking mother!" Tig roared at her. LeAnn wondered what the fuck happened to Tig. Granted, she had tried to goad him for a reaction, but she wasn't prepared for this outburst of rage. He was standing there holding her arms, but she could feel him shaking, too. His ice blue eyes were wild, and she could almost feel the pain and frustration coming off him in waves. "Jesus Christ, Tig let go of her now!" Jax and Bobby both yelled. LeAnn heard Jax hand Abel off to Tara, who had started wailing during all the screaming. Jax and Bobby both grabbed hold of Tig and pulled him off LeAnn, and they both stood glaring at each other, breathing hard. LeAnn's arms hurt from where Tig had grabbed her, and she couldn't resist getting in one last dig out of spite.

"Fuck you! You think you know anything about me? You don't know the first thing about who I am and what I do. I wasn't spying on your precious club. You want the truth? I was scared to come here. I was fighting with myself about it, and I didn't have anyone to turn to. Yeah, I wanted answers about who I was, but did it ever occur to any of you that I was afraid of what I'd find out? I guess not. But boy, it sounds like you knew my mother though. Should I start calling you dad?" LeAnn snarled at Tig.

"You don't know when to quit, do you? Shut your goddamn mouth before I shut it for you. This is my last warning for you. What happened between Laura and me is none of your business, and what happened between the club and Laura is none of your business," Tig snarled back and turned away from her and headed into the clubhouse. _What the fuck did that mean?_, LeAnn wondered.

She looked at Bobby, and he saw her confusion, "It's complicated, kid. We'll get there, don't worry. But I think Gemma is the one who should be talking to you about it. Your mom was, well, pretty available to the guys in the club around that time, along with the many other issues she had."

"Is that your way of saying she was a total slut?" LeAnn asked.

"You don't understand how the club works yet and hopefully once you do, things will make more sense," Bobby said quietly, "Give Gemma a minute to process this, doll, and then you and her can sit down and talk about everything," and with that Bobby walked off.

LeAnn turned to Jax, who said truthfully, "I honestly don't know a lot about what happened back then. My parents obviously didn't tell me everything that went on. Clay and my mom were married, and Clay was president then, just like he is now. My mom told me that her niece died, and then Laura died shortly thereafter. I can't really tell you any more than that. I'm sorry."

"At least you're honest. But what about what Bobby said? I don't understand the club?"

"It's complicated, but you have to understand how an MC works. If you want, I can give you some MC 101 lessons. And the first one would be to stop trying to provoke Tig. Trust me, you don't want to piss him off. I think you are on thin ice with him right now as it is."

LeAnn nodded. "Yeah, I know. I just got mad. I saw the way he was looking at Bobby, like he was afraid that Bobby would say too much, and it pissed me off. I don't know what I thought it would be like when I came here, but this mystery and uncertainty wasn't what I expected." Jax just nodded and was about to speak again, when LeAnn thought of something else. The thought had occurred to her the moment she learned who her real mother was. It was something she had to do, and didn't want to be alone doing it. "Jax, can you take me to see my mother's grave?"

"Yes, I'll take you. But I really think you need to sit down with my mom and get this figured out first. It will help, I hope."

Gemma saw Tig come storming into the clubhouse, shaking with rage. "That little bitch gets under my skin, like nobody else!" he yelled.

"Tig, she wants answers to this mystery she doesn't understand. I respect that, and you should too. I mean, how would you react in her position? But how do I tell her the truth? How do I tell her what her mother was? She won't understand. Tig, you know I loved my sister, but she just used me. She used all of us, you, me, Clay, and Bobby."

"We'll have to make her understand. What else can we do?" Tig said quietly and somewhat calmer after he listened to Gemma's words. Gemma nodded, "She has to understand that the club comes first no matter what. Laura had her chance, and she turned her back on it. Actions have consequences. She learned that the hard way."

TBC

Author's Note: DNA tests happen quickly in Charming! Honestly, this chapter is mostly transition, plus I wanted LeAnn to interact with some of the other characters, Jax most importantly and Chucky (for fun). The sit down with Gemma and LeAnn is coming up in the next chapter (I've already started to write it), with Laura's past in connection with the club being revealed. Please review and let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Gemma?" LeAnn called out, as she entered the deserted clubhouse. Jax, Tara, and Abel were still outside, along with everyone else. And no one had heard from Clay, as of yet. Jax had mentioned in passing to her that a lawyer would be handling that issue. Jax had also set her straight about some MC rules of conduct, and apparently she had been breaking quite a few of them. He had also filled her in briefly on the leadership positions in SAMCRO, which mainly consisted of Clay, Tig, and himself. Jax was honest with her, and then he had promptly sent her inside to set things straight with his mother. LeAnn looked around, surprised when she saw the door to the room Jax told her was called the chapel open. "LeAnn, come in here please," Gemma said firmly, standing in the doorway. LeAnn walked slowly toward her, and Gemma headed into the room without looking back. But LeAnn stopped in the doorway, not entering the room at all. Jax had told her this room was sacred, and that women (well, LeAnn wasn't sure if Gemma went by a different set of rules being the queen) weren't supposed to set foot in this room. Gemma looked up and smiled slightly at LeAnn's obvious hesitation, "It's all right, honey. You can come in here for this one time. I wanted you to see this room. We can try to explain things to you. Come in and close the door."

LeAnn nodded and walked into the room slowly, closing the door behind her. As she looked around the room, the table caught her attention. It had a reaper carved into it. _That's pretty awesome_, she thought. She then noticed that both Tig and Bobby were present, sitting in their chairs. Gemma gestured for her to sit, but LeAnn felt really awkward, not to mention slightly embarrassed at the way she had been acting lately. Screaming at Tig hadn't been one of her finer moments. She also had no clue where to sit in this room. Where there certain chairs that she wasn't allowed to sit in?

Bobby seemed to sense her discomfort and pulled out the chair next to him, Jax's chair. "Sit down, I'm sure your new found cousin won't mind you using his seat." LeAnn gave him a small smile and walked the long way around the table. She didn't want to go near Tig yet, remembering her screaming match with him earlier. She thought it best to give him a wide berth for the moment. LeAnn sat down in the chair Bobby offered. This seat did put her directly across from Tig and in between Bobby and Gemma, who had taken up what Jax had told her was the president's seat, Clay's chair. Maybe the president's old lady could sit in his chair? (Jax had filled her in on what the terms 'old ladies, sweet butts, and crow eaters' meant as well). LeAnn swallowed hard and looked to Gemma to start the conversation.

"I think this situation is difficult for everyone to handle. But I promised you the truth, and like you said outside, you are her daughter. You are my niece. You're going to hear things about your mother you won't want to hear, but this is the bottom line and here is something you have to try to understand and remember throughout this little talk: In this club, we protect each other. Loyalty is huge, and people who threaten SAMCRO don't last very long. Remember I told you I protect my family at all costs?" Gemma waited for LeAnn to nod before continuing, "The same goes for every member of this club."

LeAnn couldn't help it anymore. She felt fear rising in her; she could feel that something bad was going to happen. "Tig told me he makes sure people follow the rules, do what they are told. Is that what you mean? People are punished if they don't follow the rules and aren't loyal to the club?"

Tig nodded, "That's right, doll."

Gemma nodded, as well, "Tig is Sergeant at Arms, and that is his job. He may have help from the other members at times, like Happy, but in the end, his job is to protect my husband and every member of this club from _any_ threat."

"Okay, I understand that. So how does Laura, my mother, fit into all of this?" LeAnn asked, although she knew she was going to dread hearing this.

Gemma took a deep breath, "Laura was my younger sister, like I told you. I was already living in Charming with Clay and the MC when she showed up here. She wanted to be a part of my life. To understand her, you would have to had known our mother. She was a real bitch, and she really did a number on Laura and me, as well. So, in a way, I gave Laura a lot of leeway that she ended up using up rather quickly. She started getting into serious drugs and partying with the club. I think she had been living on her own away from our parents for a while, but I'm not sure. Laura kept a lot of things to herself. I guess you could call her a sweet butt, but she didn't really care about the titles that most women do. She didn't want to be an old lady. I wanted to keep her around because I did love her and wanted to give her a chance, plus she was my family. But, the boys went on a run one night and ended up at another Sons clubhouse. Laura loved to party, even though she was older than most of the other sweet butts, and she somehow ended up at the same party these guys were at," Gemma said, as she indicated Tig and Bobby.

LeAnn interrupted quickly, "What's a run? There are other Sons?" Gemma looked at her, "You're going to have to accept that you still have a lot to learn about club life, but there are some things you don't need to know about, like what runs are. And yes, there are more chapters of the Sons of Anarchy."

Bobby continued as if there had been no question from LeAnn, "Maybe Laura followed us or heard where we were going. I'm still not sure about that, and how she found out where we were. But she started partying with us, the other Sons, and their crow eaters, and we all got pretty wasted that night. You haven't been at a club party yet, you haven't seen up close what they are like. Laura was really drunk, the same as us. She ended up having sex with me first, and then she moved onto Clay," During this point in the story, LeAnn had her head down, just listening and feeling numb to it. But her head snapped up, and she looked at Gemma when she heard that bit of information. Gemma's eyes were closed, and it was clear that knowing what Clay did still stung for her.

"It happened on a run though," Gemma whispered, "and although I was pissed at Clay for the fact it was my sister, I did forgive him for it eventually. He was pretty drunk that night from what he told me later, and I know he regrets what he did."

"So, she was pretty much drinking, doing drugs, and having sex with you guys when you were wasted too. How absolutely wonderful to know," LeAnn said bitterly, "What happened next?" LeAnn expected Bobby to continue the story, but it was Tig, who looked so uncomfortable that LeAnn almost felt sorry for him, until she heard what he had to say, "After she was with Clay, she started coming on to me, just like she had with Clay and Bobby. I was fucked up that night. Besides being drunk, I had done some shit for the club, you don't need to know what, but I was pretty messed up. I was already wasted, but add to that what I had already done for the club that night, and well, I was in a pretty dark place. Laura and I started to…"

LeAnn sensed what was coming and wanted to head it off quickly, "Okay, I really don't want to hear the details, please. I don't think I can handle that right now."

Tig just looked at her warily, "Some of the details do matter here. The sex got really rough. Anyone who knows me knows my history when it comes to my sexual escapades. Honestly, this night was pretty high on the charts for me," LeAnn shifted uncomfortably in the chair. _Please don't let me hear anything else about this guy's sex life_, LeAnn thought miserably.

Tig continued, "After we… were done, Laura left the clubhouse. We didn't know where she went, and we couldn't find her. She showed up here a little over a month later, really hopped up on some drugs. She claimed that she had overheard what happened and what the Club did that night, which was SAMCRO business. She told Gemma what happened that night with Clay and Bobby. She also claimed that she was going to have me arrested for raping her." LeAnn looked hard at Tig.

"That's a pretty serious charge to be throwing around. Did you rape her? Did she tell you no?" LeAnn said fiercely.

"We were both wasted. It did get way out of hand, but I don't remember her ever saying no," Tig answered truthfully.

"But you just said it. You were wasted. So, she could have said no and obviously you didn't stop," LeAnn whispered. Nobody knew what to say to that. Tig shook his head and responded, "I didn't rape her." LeAnn didn't know what to think about it, so she forced herself to listen to Gemma's next words instead.

Gemma stepped in, moving the story along, "Laura kept insisting that ATF could provide her with a witness protection setup, a new house and money, shit like that. I kept thinking how stupid she was for doing this. I was already pissed off at her for telling me she slept with Clay, but then she dropped another bomb shell: that she was pregnant. She didn't tell me who the father was because I don't think she even knew, but Clay and the club discussed what we should do. She was my family, so we were going to give her one chance to get her shit together. We told her to leave Charming and disappear, not to talk to the feds about anything or the alleged rape, or she would suffer the consequences. Remember what I said about loyalty and not fucking with SAMRCO?"

LeAnn wasn't sure she could stomach much more of this, but she found her voice, "So I'm guessing she left Charming because she believed you would carry out the threat. She had me outside of Charming, and I somehow managed to end up with the Millers? Did she give me up for adoption, just get rid of me or…"

Gemma shook her head, "As to that, I have no idea. The only person who knows that for sure was Laura and maybe your adoptive parents. Laura came back to Charming, a short while later. She told me the baby girl died at birth. That's all I know about that, even though we now know that you were alive, and she lied about it."

LeAnn nodded again, "How did she die?"

Gemma didn't speak for a moment, and then, "She seemed all right for a while. She begged me for another chance, that she wanted to be a part of the family. We decided to let her hang around again, but things went downhill quickly. Laura started doing drugs again or maybe she actually never stopped, and she got messed up in some serious shit. She got in trouble with the law too. The ATF realized again they could use her to gain leverage against the club for the events she had knowledge of. I pleaded with her not to listen to the ATF, but she told Clay straight to his face she was going to make a deal with the feds. She wouldn't listen to reason. She was going to rat on the club," Gemma whispered.

LeAnn felt her head spinning. "Let me guess, you killed her and buried her out in some god forsaken place where her body would never be found."

Tig looked hard at LeAnn, "No. She was still Gemma's sister. She died of a drug overdose."

"That I am sure you arranged, right Tig?" LeAnn shouted suddenly. He surprised her by simply nodding his head.

She couldn't believe any of this. This was the truth? Her mother had been a junkie and a slut who threatened to sell out the club? She had been given one opportunity to keep her mouth shut and she didn't do it? She chose to have her baby, but how did LeAnn go from being in Laura's care to Diane Miller's? Then her mother returned to Charming and got involved with the feds again. She had already used up her chance with SAMCRO and they killed her? LeAnn couldn't even fathom this. She had never known her, but Laura was still her mother. "She gave birth to me. She could have gotten an abortion I guess, but she didn't. She gave me life, for God's sake! How I am supposed to feel about this? You just admitted to me that you killed her!"

Gemma leaned forward and grabbed her trembling hands, "Your mother made some horrible choices, and I told you this would be hard for you to hear and understand. If she had been anybody else, she wouldn't have gotten the second chance. She would have been dead right away. She was my sister, and I loved her. But I couldn't save her from herself, LeAnn."

LeAnn had one last question, and it was a thought that had been nagging her for some time, "Who is my real father?" Bobby rubbed his face and delivered the next blow to LeAnn's already fragile state, "That night at the clubhouse, Clay, Tig, and I all slept with your mother. Clay, Tig, and I also don't remember if we used a condom or not. Stupid, but it's the truth. We talked about this when your mom showed up pregnant. Like I told you before, we were all wasted that night. Any one of us could be your father."

LeAnn felt tears stream down her face. Before she really could think through what she was saying and how truly stupid it was, she asked, "What's to stop me from going to the feds just like my mother did? As payback for what you did to her?"

Gemma leaned forward and grabbed LeAnn's chin, forcing her face up to hers. "I appreciate the fact that you are upset right now, and I don't blame you. But did you listen to anything we just told you? And going to the police really isn't an option for you anyway, not just in terms of your own life, but your own future."

"What? I don't…" LeAnn whispered as she tried to pull away from Gemma's hold on her chin.

It was then LeAnn saw Gemma hold up a tape recorder with her other hand and press the play button. LeAnn heard her own voice on the tape, admitting to what she had done to her father when the Club had confronted her earlier. "It's not pretty, but it is what it is. This is pretty damaging evidence against you if you would try to go to the feds." Gemma let go of LeAnn's face, stopped the tape recorder, and placed it back in her pocket, as she waited for LeAnn to speak.

"You're blackmailing me? What kind of family is this?" LeAnn said, outraged.

Gemma looked at her, "I do want you to be a part of this family. I never knew you existed. You are my niece, but don't for a second think that I will let you endanger us. This club didn't allow my sister to endanger it. The next move is yours. You can be a part of this family or not. What's it going to be?"

LeAnn was shaking. Her head hurt, she was feeling every single emotion in the spectrum: anger at being blackmailed, confusion, sadness, relief at knowing the truth, and fear of what could happen to her. In her mind's eye, she saw Abel smiling up at her again. _I don't want to give that up. I could have a real family_, LeAnn thought. She remembered her adoptive parents and how utterly cruel they were. In comparison, what Gemma and the Sons were doing, blackmailing her, wasn't nearly as bad as what she already went through. LeAnn opened her mouth to respond, but she felt a wave of nausea rush over her. "I think I'm going to be sick," she whispered. Maybe they had anticipated she would need it, but Bobby reached next to him and handed her a wastebasket. LeAnn promptly set it on the floor and threw up into it. She felt Gemma's hands on her head, pulling her hair back gently. LeAnn vaguely registered this maternal gesture, but her head was just throbbing and she couldn't really focus on anything. With her stomach empty, LeAnn leaned back in Jax's chair and allowed the silent tears to continue to pour down her cheeks. She vaguely saw them all looking at her with some sympathy, which included Tig.

LeAnn shook her head and found herself looking to Gemma, "I've never had this, a real family to be a part of. I'm just numb right now. Don't expect with me to be okay with what happened and what you all did, and that includes you most of all," LeAnn said, looking right at Tig. "But I don't want to throw this chance away. Regardless of you blackmailing me, which don't get me wrong, pisses me off, I think I want to stay here for right now. I'm not going to say anything to the cops. I just need time to sort through all of this and make sense of it. Can you give me that?" LeAnn asked, allowing her gaze to finally end up on Gemma.

Gemma smiled slightly, "Yes, I think we can do that. I want you to stay with Clay and me for a while. I know you're a legal adult, but not by much, so I want you with me. I don't want you staying here at the clubhouse, you'll understand why when you have to try and sleep through a club party. Now, we have to get Clay out of jail, but I think the lawyers will have him home soon enough. Stahl said she just was questioning him."

LeAnn looked over at Tig and Bobby, uneasily. "Are we going to do another DNA test? Did you guys want to know who my real father is? What if it's Clay, Gemma?"

Gemma shook her head, "Let's not worry about that now, baby. We'll cross that bridge when we have to. I think you need some time to get used to what the MC life is, and what happened to your mother before we add on more drama. As soon as Clay gets home, we'll run another DNA test on you, Tig, Bobby, and Clay and see what comes of it. Okay?"

LeAnn just found herself nodding weakly, "Wait, who else knows this whole story? Besides Clay, Tig, Bobby, me and you?"

"No one, honey. And that's the way it will stay. We will tell Jax and the others some of what happened. Maybe we'll tell Jax more of the truth later. I don't know how things will go for sure. Let's just take this slowly."

A sudden knock at the chapel door startled the group. The door opened, and Chibs said, "Gemma, Clay called from lock up. He wants you to meet Rosen down there. And Juicey Boy has the background checks and the PD information coming very soon."

"Thanks, Chibs," Gemma said, and Chibs quickly left, closing the door. Gemma smiled kindly at LeAnn, and said, "I'll come back to get you later, all right?" LeAnn nodded weakly. She got to her feet slowly, as Gemma and Bobby left the room, leaving LeAnn alone with Tig. She didn't want to be in the same room with him right now. She remembered his words about the rough sex and the question of rape, and admitting to her that he caused her mother's drug overdose. Add to that the fact that there was a possibility of him being her biological father, and LeAnn felt so much confusion regarding Tig that her head spun. She looked at him and saw him cock his head slightly to the side watching her_. His eyes, her eyes, were exactly the same color. No, no, no, I'm not going there right now_. _Let it be Bobby or Clay even. But not Tig_, LeAnn thought. She turned and walked away from the table towards the door. She had her hand on the door handle, when Tig said, "LeAnn."

She swallowed hard and looked back at him, meeting his ice blue eyes. She said nothing, merely waited for him to speak. She wouldn't know what to say to him anyway. He stood up and walked up to her, and LeAnn involuntarily shrunk back against the door. "Don't do that. Hell, you were always firing back at me earlier, getting me so pissed off at you. What's changed now?" he asked.

"Jax told me I need to respect the guys in the MC. I'm trying to do that. But as I recall, you threatened me earlier. I just found out some things about you I would rather not care to know, like about your sex life and the fact that you kill people, which included my mother. Do you still think I'm exactly like her?"

Tig sighed, and ran his hand through his unruly hair, "I was pissed off at the whole situation when I said that to you. Your mother said that you were dead, and we all believed her. I had put this behind me, we all had. Then you showed up. I didn't think it was possible, and then Tara said those results left no doubt that you were her kid. It just brought it all back. I'm not particularly proud of what happened that night at the clubhouse with your mother, and yet you may have been the result."

"Please don't say that. I can't think about that right now," LeAnn whispered.

"I won't apologize for protecting this club. You'll never hear me apologize for that." LeAnn looked at him and asked, "So, you'll never apologize for me not knowing my real mother?"

Tig looked at her and shook his head, "Why didn't she keep you, LeAnn? Isn't that what you're really wondering about now?"

LeAnn felt Tig's words touch something inside her. Yes, LeAnn was wondering why Laura didn't keep her. Did she just not want a kid? There were some questions that she still needed answers to. But LeAnn wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel regarding Laura. She understood that her mother was trying to rat out the club besides being a junkie, but she was still her mother. Didn't that mean something?

LeAnn whispered to Tig, "Do you think I'm your daughter?"

"We'll find out one way or another soon enough," Tig answered quietly.

TBC

Author's Note: I rewrote this chapter several times, and I'm still not sure I'm happy with it. But I decided to post it anyway. I wanted to try to keep everyone in character, hopefully that happened. There are still some secrets left, but I felt like I needed to get all of these issues with Laura's past in this chapter. I had kept you waiting long enough! I hope it wasn't a letdown! Please, please review and let me know what you think! It took me a while to get this chapter written, so I would love feedback!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Warning: Mature themes (sexual situation) in this chapter! Don't say I didn't warn you!

_A few days later_

Things had become slightly more "normal," if there was such a thing in LeAnn's life. Gemma had embraced LeAnn as her niece and tried to make things as easy as possible for her, helping her adjust to the MC life. LeAnn spent a lot of time with Jax, Tara, and Abel because she felt like she and Jax just "clicked," if there was such a thing between cousins. Clay had come back to the clubhouse after being released by Stahl and had been filled in on the situation regarding LeAnn. In church (though LeAnn herself hadn't been present but heard some of the details later), he admitted to the club the possibility of Bobby, Tig, or him being LeAnn's real father. He also told the club a partial truth: that Laura had been a junkie and died of a drug overdose. He didn't tell the club that Tig had caused it. Then, he promptly ordered the DNA tests to be done. That had been the worst afternoon in terms of awkwardness LeAnn ever remembered experiencing. Tara had been incredibly professional, but the four of them sitting in the room getting blood drawn had not been her idea of a good time. On the other hand though, Bobby was very friendly to her, and she was fairly comfortable around him. Clay seemed all right, but LeAnn was nervous around the President and could tell he was ready to know the results of the DNA test, so the issue would finally be settled.

Tara would have the results soon enough. Another worry had been placed on LeAnn though, and this problem had come from a different source: Juice. He discovered through medical records that LeAnn had been abused growing up, though her adoptive mother had always claimed her injuries were household accidents or her just being a rambunctious child, and no child abuse charges were ever filed. She always thought it was stupid the doctors believed her mother's lies, but there wasn't anything she could do about it now. But worst of all, Juice had discovered that her adoptive father was still alive in a coma. Though LeAnn had no idea how, Juice found out that it was expected he would wake up. Her mother, the stupid bitch, had told the police that LeAnn had attacked her father without provocation, and the Dayton, Ohio PD was searching for her. Attempted murder was a feasible charge in this case.

LeAnn knew that she was eventually going to have to confront Diane Miller. She knew she held some answers, regarding the text message and how she came to raise her. Her adoptive mother still had a lot to answer for, in LeAnn's opinion. She truly believed her mother sent the text, so why didn't she tell the police she was in Charming? Or was she waiting for something? Not taking any chances, Clay ordered her to stay close to the clubhouse or at least stay near a Son at all times, while they figured out a way to get LeAnn out of her legal trouble. She was touched that they were willing to help her, but Gemma had merely told LeAnn, "You're family, baby girl. I told you we take care of each other."

In terms of her own mental state, LeAnn was still trying to process what happened with her mother. Gemma had shown her some photographs, which she was grateful for. True to his word, Jax had taken LeAnn to visit her mother's grave. As LeAnn stood and laid some flowers she had brought on her grave, she tried to understand her mother's actions. Yet as much as she fought to understand her, she couldn't. The concept of family had taken on importance in LeAnn's life, due to her lack of a loving one growing up. Now, with the Sons of Anarchy, she felt she did have a new family and couldn't imagine betraying them. LeAnn wanted to believe that the drugs caused her mother's problems, but she was also conflicted in regards to the fact that her mother had been doing drugs while she was pregnant. LeAnn wondered how much her mother really cared about her safety to do that. In the end, she knew she was going to have to put what happened to her mother out of her mind. She was dead, and nothing LeAnn said or did could bring her back. She still needed to resolve some issues with Tig, but she felt she was in a much more solid place than she was when she left the chapel after talking with Tig that day. As far as her relationship with him was concerned, they had avoided each other since their short conversation in the chapel. LeAnn still felt some confusion in regards to him, but she felt she was at a place to at least start to try with him. But that was before all hell broke loose, and it all started with who her real father was.

The mystery of her biological father was finally resolved when Tara walked into the clubhouse with another envelope in her hand. From the look on her face, LeAnn knew she didn't want to do this either. LeAnn was shooting pool with Half-Sack and Juice, both of whom she had formed an odd friendship with in the last few days. They often hung out together since LeAnn absolutely loved computers and was pretty good with them, while Half-Sack had started teaching her better boxing techniques. Clay, Bobby, Tig, and Gemma had been by the bar when Tara walked in. Jax had just taken Abel to his dorm room for a nap. Clay nodded at Juice and Half-Sack, and they promptly exited the clubhouse. _Another moment of truth_, she thought with some dread. Tara pulled the results out of the envelope and opened her mouth to read them, when LeAnn said simply, "No."

Tara looked up at her, startled, "I'm sorry?"

"I can't do this. I can't. I don't want to know. Things have been going so good, I just can't hear it. What will it change? I don't want anything to change from the way it is right now," LeAnn said quickly.

Gemma immediately came over to her and hugged her tightly. LeAnn buried her face in Gemma's neck. "Baby, I know you're nervous. But this has been weighing on everyone for too long. We have to get to the truth, so we can finally move on from it."

Although LeAnn didn't want to admit it, she knew Gemma was right. She hated to be so damn vulnerable. Even though she was an adult and intelligent, she still felt so young and inept, especially with regard to this situation. Her emotions had been all over the map, which was also causing her vulnerability. "All right," LeAnn said. "Just get it over with," echoing her words from the first DNA test. She glanced over at the three guys, and they looked as tense as she felt.

Tara looked back down at the paper and read over the results again. "With 99.9% accuracy, LeAnn is the biological daughter of Alexander Trager."

Nobody said anything after Tara uttered those words. Deep down, LeAnn had believed it was Tig, though she never wanted to acknowledge it out loud. Now, there was no denying it. LeAnn couldn't look at any of them. She didn't want to see the looks of relief that were on Clay and Bobby's faces. She knew Tig more than likely had a look of utter horror on his face. "Thanks, Tara," LeAnn mumbled and walked outside, without another word. LeAnn made it to the picnic tables before she collapsed down onto the bench, with her head in her hands. Tig was her father. Where did that leave them? Now, there was nothing else to be done about it, the man who killed her mother was her father. LeAnn thought there was a better possibility of her coming to terms with this fact as horrifying as it was. Tig had done what he did in the context of protecting the club. Did that make it right? LeAnn wasn't so sure, but at least she could attempt to understand it. However, the night of her actual conception still bothered her. Did Tig force her mother? He was adamant that he didn't, but what really happened that night?

LeAnn's thoughts were interrupted by heavy boot steps coming towards her. She lifted her head out of her hands to see Tig coming and sitting down next to her on the bench. As she did before, she waited for him to speak because she honestly couldn't think of anything to say.

In all fairness to him, Tig was in a similar mindset as LeAnn. The past few days had been pretty good with LeAnn fitting into the club and following the rules. Granted, they hadn't interacted much, but he thought that had given them both a chance to think things over. Tig had thought most about the fact he might have another daughter. He didn't think he would ever want another one, after Dawn and Fawn. But with LeAnn sitting next to him, he realized that this beautiful girl was his child. He thought he had made peace long ago with what happened to Laura, but LeAnn's presence and her resemblance to Laura had made him second guess that. He realized that LeAnn was looking at him, waiting for him to speak. As he opened his mouth to say something, a car he recognized pulled up. _No, not now_, he thought. _This has to be the worst possible timing ever_.

He only saw his other two daughters a couple of times a year, and his ex-wife chose now, now of all times, to decide this was one of those times a year? His ex-wife, Dana, got out of the car and the two girls, who shared his blue eyes and curly hair also got out of the car, following their mother.

"Well, Tig since you haven't returned any phone calls from me or even acknowledge that we still exist, I thought now might be a good time to show up and make you remember your obligations," Dana sneered at him. Tig gritted his teeth. He thought his ex-wife's voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard. She turned to the girl at Tig's side, and she snorted, "You seem to keep picking them barely legal, Tig. Who is this stupid bitch?"

LeAnn had been on an emotional roller coaster the past few days, and even though it had leveled off some, today once again she was facing the worst of it. Now, this stupid woman in front of her was insinuating that she and Tig were sleeping together? _Oh hell no_, she thought. She glanced at the girls who had Tig's features, were they…

"Hi, dad," both girls whispered, glancing at their mother in shock at her language. _Suspicion confirmed_, LeAnn thought, _point for me_.

LeAnn stood up and said, "I'll give you guys a moment. And for the record, I'm not with him," she gestured to Tig.

"Oh really? I suppose you're not with him in the sense that he would never take an old lady. What are you, his little sweet butt?" Dana sneered.

LeAnn's anger at the audacity of this woman reached a fever pitch. This woman was the biggest bitch LeAnn had met in a while. She felt sympathy for Tig and the girls. However, as she stepped closer to Dana, it was Tig who finally found his voice and intervened. He stood up and said mildly, "I didn't want to do it like this, but I guess I have to shut you up somehow, Dana," he sneered her name. "This is LeAnn, my oldest daughter. LeAnn, these are my other daughters, Dawn and Fawn and their mother, Dana, my ex-wife." LeAnn thought, _Dawn and Fawn, you've got to be kidding me!_

Tig thought he had handled that situation remarkably well. However, the looks of shock on their faces gave him some pause. But it was Dawn, Tig's youngest daughter and probably the calmest out of everyone standing there, who stepped over to LeAnn and looked closely at her, "So you're my big sister? How come I haven't met you before now?" She was around ten and a beautiful girl.

"I guess so. It's a shock for me too. I just found out I had sisters too," she shot an exasperated look in Tig's direction. _To be fair, we just found out. What did I expect?_ _But damn, this is awkward_, she thought. She had no idea how to answer Dawn's question about not meeting her before now. _Well, let's see, Dawn. My mother was a junkie who lied about her baby..._ Somehow she thought that wouldn't go over well.

Fawn smiled at LeAnn and so did Dawn. They seemed to be handling this well, which was surprising. LeAnn found herself smiling back at them. Dawn grabbed her hand and Tig's hand. "Come on! You, me, Fawn, and dad can get ice cream together!" The girl's words startled LeAnn.

"Dawn, Fawn, go wait in the car, I have a few words to say to your father, and then we're leaving," Dana's voice cut into Dawn's anticipated happy family moment.

_Uh oh_, LeAnn thought. _Tig_ _and I are probably going to get our heads ripped off._ The girls looked outraged. "But, Mom, we just got here! We haven't even got to spend any time with dad!" Fawn said in indignation.

"Car now, don't make me say it again!" Dana yelled. The two girls looked back at Tig and LeAnn for a moment and they whispered goodbye, and Dawn's words to Fawn as they walked toward the car shattered LeAnn's heart, "How come she gets to be with dad, and we don't?"

LeAnn waited until they were in the car before she said coldly, "Do you see what you're doing to your daughters? Why don't you just shove a knife in their hearts, it would be a hell of a lot cleaner."

No sooner than the words were out of her mouth, did she get slapped across the face by Dana. The impact sent her stumbling backwards into Tig.

Dana raised her hand and pointed it into LeAnn's face. "Don't you dare tell me how to treat my daughters! You just met them and me, and you think you know what's best for them? Obviously, you're just the child of some woman Tig fucked, and he just found out from the looks of it. You're trash, more than likely just like your poor bitch of a mother. You stay away from me and my daughters!" Dana screamed at LeAnn.

LeAnn clutched her face and prepared to unleash some more fury on Dana. It would serve her right, but Tig intervened. He steadied LeAnn next to him and then grabbed Dana's arm and pulled her away from LeAnn. Tig looked downright scary, and he yelled at Dana, "You don't talk to her like that, not to mention slapping her. What the fuck gives you the right to do that, you stupid bitch? As for her mother, that's none of your fucking business. What do you care anyway? Now, why did you come here, besides just getting the girls' hopes up and then stomping all over them?"

Dana shook her head and screamed, "You are a fucking asshole! I only came because the girls were begging to see you. I think it is a mistake for them to be around you. Your life will only cause them pain, not to mention everything you have done. I changed my mind, fuck you Tig! I don't want you near them ever again. Any judge in the world would agree with me too, considering your lifestyle and your rap sheet. You won't be seeing them again. And as for you, missy, I'll give you a little free advice. Stay away from him. He's violent, and he hurts people. You're better off without him. He's a horrible father!" and Dana quickly walked to her car, got in, and drove off.

LeAnn felt absolutely horrible. She couldn't help but feel awful for Tig. Maybe if she hadn't said anything, Dana wouldn't have reacted the way she did. Tig watched her drive off, shocked as well. He turned around and looked at LeAnn's face. "Are you all right?"

"I've been hit worse than that by my father, I mean my adoptive dad," she said softly. Tig looked upset at that comment, "I'm all right. I should have handled that better. I'm really sorry, Tig."

"It's not your fault. Dana has always been looking for a reason to do this. I guess it finally was the excuse she needed. Dawn and Fawn are good kids, you would have liked them," and with that, Tig walked off and went into the clubhouse, not knowing what else to say, and leaving LeAnn standing by the picnic tables with a look of pain on her face.

_A few hours later_

LeAnn was sitting at the clubhouse bar. An impromptu party had started up, but she didn't feel in the mood to party especially after what had happened earlier. Gemma had said she would take her home soon with her, but Tara and some of the other old ladies had come in, and she was talking to them. At this point, many of the Sons were intoxicated, and the crow eaters were out in full force, trying to get the Sons to notice them. _I see now what Bobby meant about club parties. _

Half-Sack was manning the bar, and he looked at her sympathetically. She looked so exhausted that Half-Sack took pity on her. "You know there are dorms in the back, just find the first one that isn't occupied. You could lie down there for a while. I'll tell Gemma when she's done talking to the other old ladies to come get you."

"I think I'll take you up on that offer," she said, smiling at him.

LeAnn got up and weaved her way through the groups of people and headed back to the dorms. _I've never been back here before_, she thought. _First_ _one that isn't occupied, okay. _She approached the first door and knocked softly. She didn't hear any sounds coming from the room, but the music playing was really loud. She figured if someone was in the room they would have locked the door, so she assumed it was okay. She opened the door quietly and wasn't prepared for what she saw.

The occupants in the room didn't notice her, which was probably a good thing. LeAnn saw a woman on her stomach whose wrists were tied up tightly to the headboard, with her head facing toward it, and LeAnn realized why she hadn't heard the sounds of a woman in this room because there was a belt around her throat. The woman did turn her head and looked slightly in LeAnn's direction, and she saw how tight the belt was around her neck. But worse, a man was thrusting into the woman's ass violently, clutching her hip with one hand and also pulling on the belt around the woman's neck with his other hand, making it even tighter. LeAnn stared in shock at the man with curly, dark hair: Tig. He took no notice of anything besides fucking the woman beneath him and didn't realize LeAnn was standing in the doorway.

LeAnn backed out of the room quickly and closed the door, careful to not make any noise. She felt sickened by what she had just seen. Tig's words from a few days ago in the chapel came flooding back to her: _The sex got really rough. Anyone who knows me knows my history when it comes to my sexual escapades. Honestly, this night was pretty high on the charts for me_.

If what he did to her mother ranked high on the charts, then where the hell did this rank? He was still doing the same stuff, maybe not as bad, but damn it, it was utterly disgusting for LeAnn to see it up close and personal. Who wanted to see that shit? He obviously hadn't changed. Everything that she had tried to forget about regarding Tig and now this had to happen. Dana's words also came flooding back about how violent Tig was. Images of Tig doing this and worse to another woman filled her mind. Her mother's face was now taking the place of the woman who had been on the bed. And this man who had kinky sex and killed people was her real father?

_I have to get out of here. I can't be here right now. Anywhere but here_. LeAnn found the back door of the clubhouse and left quickly. She didn't want to see any of the Sons right now. Clay's warning for her to stay with a Son and close to the clubhouse left her mind. She wanted to be alone and get some fresh air.

Elsewhere in Charming, Agent Stahl was working late and extremely pissed off. She hadn't been able to get anything out of Clay, which wasn't surprising at all. She got up and heard the fax machine buzzing. _Odd, it would be going off this late,_ she thought. She picked up the fax. The Dayton, Ohio police department had just received a confidential tip that there was a fugitive in Charming, and it fell under her jurisdiction since the fugitive had crossed state lines and was connected to her case. Wanted for attempted murder, this fugitive was about the age of 18 and a female. A physical description was also given, and this fugitive was thought to be residing with the Sons of Anarchy Charming chapter. She smiled slowly as she recalled the little bitch who had refused to press charges against Tig Trager, and the same woman she had seen standing with the two-fingered freak at the shop when she had taken Clay into custody. She stood up and headed out of her office. _Yes, things just got a lot more interesting, and I finally may have some leverage to use against those assholes_, she thought, as she told David Hale to come with her. No need to tell Chief Unser since he could tip off the Sons, and they left in their car.

LeAnn was walking down the street outside the clubhouse. She really had no idea where she was going. All she really wanted to do was wind the clock back about 10 minutes, so she wouldn't have seen what she saw in that room. It wasn't just what Tig had just done, but it was everything that had happened in the past week. LeAnn had been coping fairly well, all things considered, but seeing Tig like that and knowing now he was her father had sent LeAnn over the edge and back into the dark swirl of emotions that had consumed her earlier. Yes, he was a grown man and could do what he wanted. LeAnn wasn't exactly that judgmental, but her thoughts kept returning to her mother. Had it been like that for her? LeAnn knew what it was like to be powerless, and the woman in the room had certainly been. Another voice nagged in her head: _Well, maybe she is one of those women that likes it like that. _And yet another voice seemed to answer back: _Or are you just trying to think of reasons to let Tig off the hook since he is your real father?_

"No, no, no, just stopping doing this to yourself!" LeAnn shouted out loud.

"I would have to agree with you, sweetheart. I would be wondering out loud too why I was hanging out with a bunch of biker asshole criminals," a woman's voice called from behind her. LeAnn whipped around. She had been so focused on her thoughts and internal struggle that she hadn't heard the car pull up behind her. She hadn't heard the two people get out, and now she was face to face with Agent Stahl and the man she assumed was a Charming deputy. _Oh shit_, she thought.

"Hello, LeAnn Miller or is it LeAnn Cross, your assumed identity? Doesn't really matter. You see this little tip came in about a woman I would have to assume would be you wanted for attempted murder. Same physical description, correct age, and associated with the Sons of Anarchy, which you are. Your days of assuming a different name and hanging out with the Sons are over. You're under arrest," and with that the Charming deputy grabbed her arms and put them behind her back and cuffed her. LeAnn looked up at Agent Stahl, hating her. She was shoved into the back of the car and as the car turned around and they passed Teller-Morrow on the way to the police station, LeAnn looked out the window at the place she desperately wished she could be in again. Even though minutes before she had never wanted to set foot in the place again. _How could I be so stupid?_ LeAnn wondered. She prayed that she could get word to Gemma or anyone somehow because she knew she couldn't get out of this mess on her own.

Gemma walked over to the bar and said to Half-Sack, "Where's LeAnn? We can head home now."

"Oh Gemma, I told her that she could lie down in one of the dorms until you were ready to go. I just told her to find the first one that wasn't occupied."

"All right. I'll go look for her," Gemma felt a little uneasy. She probably wouldn't have sent LeAnn back there. _Too much pussy running around_, she thought. At the first door she went to knock on, it was pulled open quickly and a woman slunk out with marks on her wrist, and she was rubbing her bruised neck, which looked suspiciously like a belt mark. Gemma pushed into the room and saw Tig pulling his jeans on, "Jesus Christ, Gemma, you're lucky you didn't come in any sooner!"

Gemma ignored his comment, "Have you seen LeAnn?" she asked.

Tig grimaced slightly, "No, I've been giving the kid space. Plus after everything that happened this afternoon, I just needed to unwind. Why, is something wrong?"

Gemma said, "Well, I think she may have come back here to the dorms to lie down. Granted, I just came to your door first since it is the first one, but obviously she isn't here."

"What does she look like?"

Gemma and Tig both turned to the door. The crow eater obviously had stayed to listen to the conversation. "Why?" Gemma asked coldly.

"Well, when Tigger and I were going at it, I glanced back, and I saw a girl standing in the doorway. Auburn hair, really beautiful. She stood there for a second and then backed out of the room. I didn't think anything of it because my mind was on other things," she purred as she looked seductively at Tig.

Unfortunately for her, Tig was not in the mood. "Get out!" he yelled as he slammed the door in her face. He couldn't believe this. Did LeAnn just witness what he had done with the crow eater? More than likely she had, and he realized how bad this looked. What he had done tonight was to blow off a little steam from the stress of everything lately, including the fact he had a new daughter and he would never see his other two daughters again, thanks to his bitch of an ex-wife. He had wanted to strangle Dana for taking the girls away, and this was his way to release those feelings, in his own twisted way. He had seen this crow eater smiling seductively at him, and he had got down to business. He wouldn't have expected LeAnn to come down to the dorms. What did she probably think? He had told her a few days ago that he had some really rough sex with her mother, apologized for it, and then she saw him doing some pretty nasty things to this bitch. Not to mention Dana's earlier words to LeAnn about how violent he was. He looked at Gemma, "We have to find her before she does something stupid."

As Gemma prepared to answer him, her phone rang. She answered it and said, "Wayne, why are you calling me? What's going on?" Gemma listened intently for a quite a few moments and then she shouted, "God damn that fucking ATF bitch! We'll be down there as soon as we can." She hung up and looked at Tig.

"Well, looks like LeAnn must have witnessed your little romp with that crow eater. That was Unser, and he said that Stahl and Hale picked LeAnn up a few blocks down from the clubhouse, extremely agitated. They have her in a holding cell now. Stahl seems to be pressing her for information about the club, using the attempted murder of her father as leverage against her. She doesn't know if LeAnn knows anything or not, but I guess she is assuming she might. Unser said that he talked to LeAnn for a few minutes before the feds said that he couldn't talk to their suspect anymore. She was clearly upset, and he tried to get her to talk about it, but she just kept saying that she saw something she wished she hadn't. He pressed her for more details, but she gave him nothing. Then she asked him to call us for help."

"Fuck!" Tig screamed in frustration. "God dammit! That stupid bitch left the clubhouse?"

"Bitch, Tig? Really? LeAnn should mean more to you than that. I heard what happened with Dana earlier. I know you were upset, but so was she."

Tig realized that Gemma was right. He had handled things poorly with LeAnn earlier, just walking off when they clearly had things to talk about, and now this just made it even worse. Gemma sighed and shook her head, "No offense, Tig, but I don't think she is going to want to have anything to do with you right now."

"How was I supposed to know she was there, Gemma? I never wanted her to see me like that, especially after everything else that has happened," Tig said quietly.

Gemma saw how agitated Tig was. She wanted to say, you could have locked the door, but she didn't think that would go over well. "We have to help her. You're her father, Tig. I know you just found out, but you need to start acting like it. She's going to need you to be there even if she acts like she doesn't."

LeAnn was sitting on the bunk in the holding cell, and she wondered how she was going to get out of this mess. She rubbed her eyes and waited for someone to come in and talk to her. Chief Unser had been in, but before she could really talk to him, the feds escorted him out. Jax had told her earlier she could trust him, that he was a friend of the club, so she asked him to call Gemma. The door suddenly opened, and Deputy Chief Hale walked into the room.

"Go away. I already said I won't talk without a lawyer present," LeAnn said to him rudely.

"Why are you hanging out with these guys? SAMCRO is dangerous. They endanger peoples' lives in this town," Hale stated.

"Really? Because isn't that what you and this little bitch are doing to me now? Trying to turn me into a rat? Sounds like you're the ones endangering peoples' lives. People could get hurt, you know."

Agent Stahl walked into the room and smirked at LeAnn, "Having fun, sweetheart? Why not tell me what you know about SAMCRO, and I'll set you up with witness protection and make everything else go away?"

"You know you must be pretty desperate to stop these guys if you're pressing little old me for information. I know absolutely nothing about SAMCRO. I just got here a couple of days ago," LeAnn stated firmly.

"Then why were you staying with them?" Agent Stahl asked quickly.

LeAnn hesitated. This was how people in interrogations got in trouble. The cops just got them talking, and people let something slip. LeAnn decided for a different tack. She smirked at Stahl, "Really, you are pathetic. I mean, why not just go after the guys? No, you can't get anything on them, so you have to press the women for information. Like I said, pathetic. Now, I think I told you that I'm not saying another word until I see a fucking lawyer. What part of that is so difficult to understand?"

Stahl responded quickly, "Well, when you're in prison, maybe you'll wish you hadn't spit this opportunity back in my face," and then she left with Hale.

LeAnn threw herself on the bed and screamed into the pillow in frustration. _Fuck my life_, she thought miserably. _That bitch can go fuck herself. I will never do what my mother did._

TBC

Author's Note: This story is going to pick up quickly now. I wrapped up the parental mystery, and it will go from there (as far as the legal stuff in this chapter and the chapter coming up, please just go with it. I'm not an expert, but I tried to make it a little realistic). Please let me know what you think! Reviews keep me motivated to keep writing! Thanks to those who have let me know their thoughts! It is most appreciated!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The next morning wasn't much better for LeAnn as she sat in the Charming PD holding cell. She was exhausted, physically and emotionally drained, and no one would tell her anything. But during the night, she had a lot of time to think, and it hadn't really helped at all.

She heard shouts from the outer room, and she wondered what was going on. She stepped closer to the bars to listen as closely as she could. _What is going on out there?_, she wondered.

Out in the main room, Tig, Clay, and Gemma had arrived, since no one had let them in before now. Unser saw them and came over quickly. "I have access to her now. This is still my police station. But I'm not sure if I can get you guys in to see her."

Gemma looked at Unser, "We have to. Tig is her father, Wayne. Can't he see her?"

Before anyone responded, Agent Stahl came out with a woman trailing behind her. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the Sons and the Queen coming to collect my witness."

Clay and Tig froze at Stahl's words. Had LeAnn turned on the club? Considering what she now knew about Laura's death, it was a possibility. Gemma, however, was staring at the woman standing behind Stahl. She had never seen her before. "Who are you?"

"Diane Miller. I'm LeAnn's mother."

Gemma laughed, "Oh, so you're the one who had LeAnn all this time. Took care of her, protected her, gave her everything she needed, right?"

Tig took a step closer to her and felt cold fury rise up inside him. _This stupid bitch is the reason LeAnn has problems. Fucked LeAnn up with everything her husband did to her. He won't get away with that._

Diane lifted her head in response, "I didn't see you taking care of her, Gemma. LeAnn is a problem child. She is a disaster. I can't help the way she turned out."

Gemma raised her arms up in frustration, "How was I supposed to take care of her when I didn't even know she existed? Sounds like my bitch of a sister and you took care of that. She could have had so much more than she ever did with you and your asshole of a husband!"

Diane just laughed, "Oh, I'm sure she's told you her sob story. Poor thing is utterly confused. She's violent, and she has a very short fuse. I don't know where she gets it from."

Tig shook his head, "Fuck this. I want to see her. I have to."

Stahl shook her head, "Nope, sorry. I'm not letting any of you clowns near her." She turned around and looked at Diane, "Diane, please tell me more about your friend, Laura," Stahl said, leading Diane back to the office. "Don't let them in," she instructed Hale as she closed the door.

Tig ignored them all and walked past Hale, who shouted at him to stop, "Just don't, David. For once, do something to help. Tig is LeAnn's father. They just told me. Let him talk to her," Unser said to Hale.

Gemma moved closer to Hale, "Please. She's scared and she's alone."

Hale finally nodded though he looked like he hated himself for agreeing to this, "Five minutes."

Tig walked into the area outside the holding cell. He saw LeAnn sitting with her head in her hands again. _She looked just like that yesterday_, he thought. But that brought back everything that had happened yesterday, especially with Dana and his own actions.

He walked up to the bars and said, "LeAnn?"

LeAnn had heard someone walk in, but honestly she hadn't expected to hear that voice. She lifted her head.

"You came," she whispered.

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked.

"Probably more worried I was going to rat on the club than actual concern about my well-being. You're too busy fucking women up the ass," LeAnn said bitterly.

Tig winced inwardly at the last part of her statement. Jesus Christ, did the girl have a mouth on her! "That's none of your fucking business, kid."

"Really, it isn't? Because you made it my business when you told me about my mother. Then last night, Jesus, have you ever heard of locking a fucking door?" she asked.

"Have you ever heard of knocking on a fucking door?" Tig fired back, getting pissed off now. LeAnn had stood up and moved closer to the bars, so they were standing close enough to touch through them.

"Like you would have heard knocking anyway, Tig! I do have a question to ask you though. When I was in here last night, the guards and some of the feds knew that I was hanging out with the Sons. They even asked me if I had seen you get into any livestock transports lately because apparently you have been charged with indecent exposure in one of those things. Seriously? They also asked if the rumors were true about the corpses. Are you really that twisted?"

Tig said nothing, but he was pissed off the guards had seen fit to put that on the kid too when she was already dealing with enough shit. If it had been anyone else, Tig would have just smirked at them. But he didn't want the kid to have to deal with his past, wasn't fair to her. What do you say to your long lost daughter when she asks about some of the most "interesting" parts of your past?

"It's true, isn't it? You're not denying anything about it. Oh my God, you raped my mother too, didn't you?" LeAnn was beginning to hyperventilate and have a full blown panic attack, and Tig had to stop her now before she got him kicked out of here without him getting the chance to talk to her.

Tig reached through the bars and grabbed LeAnn's arms and pulled her against them. "Stop! Just stop! You're going to drive yourself crazy thinking about that shit. Don't do it. Calm the fuck down. My history is nothing I ever wanted you to know about. I did not rape your mother, so stop that shit too. You need to start focusing on what you've got going on here in this moment than worrying about my shit."

LeAnn looked at him and then pulled away from him. "I'm sick of this. I'm sick of being used. My adoptive father used me as a punching bag. Now, Stahl is trying to use me to bring down the club. I'm getting fucking sick and tired of being used as a pawn in everyone's games! Cuz you know it is so much fun sitting here, getting jerked around by that bitch for something that is utterly ridiculous. Attempted murder, my ass. Truthfully, when I found out that bastard was in a coma, all I could think was good. Good! He deserves that and worse, so much worse. And this is what I get out of it? This is such bullshit!"

Tig could see how angry she was and didn't really blame her. "I know, kid. But you've got to focus now," LeAnn was staring down at the floor of the cell not making eye contact with him, and it pissed Tig off. She needed to snap out of this! "Look at me, dammit!" Tig yelled.

LeAnn lifted her head in surprise and locked her blue eyes with his, startled but at least he had gotten her attention! "You can't let that bitch get to you! You don't know the details about how SAMCRO operates, but blackmail works. You need to find a weakness, find something you can use," he said. LeAnn was still staring at him, but she looked thoughtful now. She seemed more focused than he had ever seen her, so he'd figured he would lay out what she couldn't do. "I don't know the details about your case right now, but I know that bitch Stahl is going to try to make your life miserable. You can't turn on the club, kid."

LeAnn was frowning, deep in thought, "I have to get out of this mess first. That's what I have to focus on right now because nothing else matters until then. Get Gemma and Unser in here. I need to find out what is going on with the case."

Chief Unser finally came in along with Gemma, and they both looked grim. "What the hell is going on? I want out of here. Don't I get a hearing or something, anything to get me the fuck out of this cell?" LeAnn said sharply.

Unser looked at her, sympathetically, "Bad news for you, kid. I don't think you're getting out of this anytime soon. I just talked to a couple of the feds. It appears that your father woke up from his coma yesterday afternoon. Your mother is here, per Stahl's request. She wants to see you and is talking to Stahl right now. Meanwhile, Ohio has turned over jurisdiction of this case to Stahl since you may have information about the Sons. She has the authority to charge you with whatever she thinks will stick. The feds get a lot of leeway in cases like this, sweetheart. I think she's hoping for something under RICO. It sounds like Stahl is going to keep you here in protective custody as a witness or just hold you. You're a flight risk since you fled Ohio relatively easily. It's not looking good for you, sweetheart. And I'm not even supposed to be talking to you about this."

LeAnn's mind was racing, but she said vehemently, "That man in the hospital and that bitch with Stahl are NOT my parents! They never were, and they never will be. So, the only thing that Stahl has on me is the attempted murder charge? What if I can prove my adoptive father abused me and tried to attack me, could that prove self-defense?

Unser shrugged, "I'm not a lawyer, but with your mother," LeAnn gave him a sharp look, "Well, with Diane Miller backing your father all the way, it doesn't look good."

LeAnn said, "I asked for a lawyer. What about that?"

Unser said, "Clay has hired Rosen to come and talk to you, and he'll get here as soon as he possibly can, but the situation doesn't look good."

LeAnn felt panic rise in her again. Would the club eliminate her? Now, Gemma's tape recorded confession about her crimes meant nothing. _The tape recorder_…_blackmail works, Tig had said_. LeAnn suddenly smiled a cold and calculating smile and her eyes looked like ice. Unser started, and Tig and Gemma took a step back from the cell in momentary shock. She suddenly looked dangerous, and she looked more like Tig than ever before.

LeAnn looked at Tig and Gemma, "All right, I have an idea. I'm going to have to do this alone though. That's the only way it could work. Know this: I will never be like my mother. Ever. I can withstand anything that bitch Stahl throws at me. I know I haven't acted like the strongest person the past few days, but I'm stronger than you know. I can handle this. Just work on getting Rosen down here, in case this doesn't work." Tig looked at LeAnn in surprise and an unbidden feeling of fatherly pride rose up in him. This kid was just as tough as he was. He started to say something, but LeAnn shook her head, "I have to do this. Let me do this. You can't get me out of this mess. I have to do this myself this time." He nodded warily and the three started to leave, but LeAnn called, "Gemma, I need something else from you…"

LeAnn was pumping herself up for this confrontation, as she paced back and forth in her cell. She was going to have to be on her game for this to go right. Her mother was on her way in to talk to her, as per her request. Agent Stahl and Diane Miller walked into the room outside the holding cell. LeAnn said nothing, and Agent Stahl seemed so triumphant that LeAnn wanted to smash her face in.

"Well, I think you and I need to have a chat about your dear biological mother, LeAnn. And Hale tells me that Tig is your real daddy. How sweet is that? What do you know about Laura's death?"

Next to her, Diane Miller was staring right into LeAnn's eyes. _What does she know and what did she tell Stahl?, _she wondered. "Agent Stahl, I'd like a few minutes to talk to my mother alone. Then you and I can sit down and talk." LeAnn made her voice sound defeated and pathetic, like she was giving up.

Stahl bought it hook, line, and sinker. "I suppose I can arrange that. You two catch up for a few minutes," she said triumphant, as she walked out.

LeAnn walked to the wall of her cell and leaned against it. "Well, I think you and I need to talk about a few things, Mom," LeAnn sneered the word _Mom_.

Diane shook her head, "I don't know what you want from me, LeAnn."

"Let's start with the truth. What do you have to lose by telling me now? How did you know Laura Maddock, and how did you get a hold of me in the first place?"

Diane looked at her, "Well, since you are facing years in prison, what the hell. Your mother, Laura, was my best friend growing up. I doubt your dear aunt Gemma ever knew that. I knew Laura very well and her parents, Nate and Rose too. She helped me out of some tight spots, and we were close. We kept in contact over the years, and then she showed up at my door, very pregnant. Your father and I were already together."

LeAnn interrupted coldly, "He's not my father."

Diane ignored LeAnn, "She told me that she had been forced out of Charming by her sister's family. She said to me her sister was involved with some criminals, SAMCRO she called them. She had gotten pregnant by one of them. She threatened to go to the police about what she knew about them, and they forced her to leave. She believed they wouldn't hurt her because she was a woman and Gemma's sister. However, she came to me because she said she didn't want her baby and didn't want Gemma and the others to know about it being alive. She would never get an abortion, but she did not want you, LeAnn. She didn't want children. She knew I couldn't have them, and she thought I might want you. Then after you were born, she went back to Charming. She told me she was going to tell them the baby died. She never even held you, like I said she didn't want you or care about you. I never saw her again, and I raised you as my own. But I did find out later that she died of a drug overdose. I thought that sounded suspicious. Yes, she did drugs, but she always knew her limits."

LeAnn couldn't help it. She wanted to know if Diane knew about this, "Did she say she was raped the night I was conceived?"

Diane looked startled, "No, she didn't tell me anything about the night you were conceived. Why, was she raped?"

LeAnn didn't answer. Her mother's actions regarding her sounded so cruel. It hurt her to think about her mother just walking away and not looking back. Her mother pretended she was dead, never held her, never even cared enough about her to be with her? LeAnn tried to think of a possible explanation for her behavior and couldn't come up with one that could excuse it.

"Honestly, LeAnn, your mother was self-destructive, and she only cared about herself. She liked having money and material things, and she also was manipulative. Her drug addiction was also a big problem for her. She was my friend, and I cared about her. I raised you as a favor to her. I owed her. But she didn't care about your future. I do think she may have loved Gemma in her own way since she told me she wanted another chance with just her, but I don't know. I just don't know."

LeAnn could see now her mother's downfall. The drugs she was on probably had clouded her judgment, and the money and everything ATF probably offered was too tempting to pass up. She had tried with Gemma again, but it wasn't meant to be. She didn't understand how the club worked at all, and clearly she didn't understand how far her sister would go to protect her husband and the Club. She couldn't see that she had already used up her only chance with them.

"So you told Stahl all about Laura, didn't you?" LeAnn said bitterly.

Dianed nodded. "I told Agent Stahl that I thought your mother may have gotten killed by SAMCRO, but I don't have proof of any of it. I told her that I thought you might know more now since you've been with Gemma. I thought Gemma might tell you the truth."

That was all LeAnn needed to know. It was all hearsay, nothing could be proven. Laura didn't give any proof or tell Diane enough to do anything. Now, Stahl needed to have LeAnn's testimony, which would never happen. LeAnn just had to get out from underneath the attempted murder charge, so Stahl couldn't use it against her and then Stahl would have nothing but suspicions. LeAnn prepared to set her plan in motion, but she needed to find out a couple of other things first.

"I want to know something else. It was you that sent me the text message, wasn't it?"

"Of course, dear. You left so quickly after you tried to bash your father's skull in. I couldn't figure out where you would go. I knew if I gave you the lead about Charming, you would go there."

"Why? Why do it?"

Diane considered her for a moment, "Call it a momentary pang of guilt. I figured I would give you the chance to find your family, even after you hurt your father. I thought he might be angry for me telling you that we weren't your real parents. He gets angry at the strangest things sometimes. And then your father woke up, and he wanted you punished. I called the police and let them know exactly where you were. It worked out better than I thought it would."

LeAnn hated her mother more than she ever had before, but she kept her composure. There had been one thing she had lied about to SAMCRO. She had told Gemma and the others that Diane wasn't so bad. But that wasn't accurate. Diane was just as messed up as her adoptive father. She could be incredibly caring one moment and an ice cold bitch the next, plus sometimes she would hit LeAnn, but never as bad as Mark. So, it didn't surprise her at all that she and Mark were so happy together. She had rarely got the brunt of Mark's rage, LeAnn had. It made sense now. LeAnn had gotten her mother to admit the truth in a moment of rage, and she had been scared of Mark. Her father had come in, LeAnn reacted, and her mother told the police that LeAnn had attacked her father because she didn't want to piss her father off if he woke up. Then when Mark did wake up, LeAnn had been found, thanks to her mother's confidential tip. Her adoptive parents were just yanking her around, but they had made one fatal mistake: Gemma and the others had taken her in, were they so foolish they didn't realize that?

LeAnn said softly, "What I don't get is why you kept me? If I was such a burden and I made your lives miserable, why not just give me up for adoption?"

"Your grandmother, Rose, Gemma and Laura's mother. Laura contacted her mother right before you were born and told her she was going to have a granddaughter, and I would be raising her. Rose agreed it was a good idea since she liked me and didn't want to take care of you either, but she agreed to give Mark and me plenty of money to raise her granddaughter. She had never liked Gemma and didn't want the baby around Gemma's family, and she had agreed to keep Laura's secret about the baby from Gemma and provide for her granddaughter until the age of 18. That was our deal."

_Oh for fuck's sake_, LeAnn thought. She remembered Gemma saying her mother was a bitch, and it looked like Laura, Rose, Mark, and Diane Miller had all done what they wanted with no regard to her. She just wished Gemma had known about her. Her life could have been so much different. _Time to finish this_, LeAnn thought.

"Mom, all those times I was in the hospital. Didn't Rose ever get angry about that?"

"Honestly, Rose didn't check in all that often. You needed to be punished, even for trivial things or I just said your injuries were just household accidents or you being a rambunctious child. I knew you would never say anything or I would tell the doctors you were lying. You turned 18 just a little bit ago. Rose told us she wouldn't give us any more money. I thought she might, which is why I wanted you to stay with us. She's not going to though. We really have no use for you now. You can go to prison." Clearly, Diane was in one of her extreme bitch modes now. She found it strange that Diane could care about Laura and Mark, but not give a damn about her. LeAnn did remember some good times with her, but they were few and far between.

"So, the day dad came home drunk. Did you think he was going to hurt me? Come on, you can tell the truth. Like you said, I'm going to prison," LeAnn said, baiting her mother.

"Of course he was going to hurt you. He was walking right towards you, and he was angry. I was surprised you did actually fight back. You took everything else he did to you over the years and never said a word."

"And you knew everything he did to me, and you just let it happen?"

"Of course. I never hurt you the same way your father did, but I saw what he did. I wasn't blind. We both did what we had to, so we could keep you in line. It was necessary," Diane said.

LeAnn grinned triumphantly. _Stupid, stupid bitch_, she thought. "I would strongly encourage you to change your story to the police."

"And why would I do that? You have no proof of anything, just your word against ours. And I'll back your father. I'm sorry, LeAnn. But this is over."

"You're damn right it is over. I'm sorry you and Mark are going to go to prison for child abuse."

"What are you talking about?"

LeAnn reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out the tape recorder that Gemma had given to LeAnn, just before she had left. Good thing she had brought it with her. It had a brand new tape in it, and LeAnn had started recording when she asked her mother about Rose and the hospital and stopped it when Diane had admitted to knowing about the abuse all along. It had gotten it all, and Diane hadn't even noticed it. Now, LeAnn had the proof she needed to establish self-defense. She had decided to take a leaf out of Gemma's book after Tig talked to her, and she knew she could get her mother to admit everything if she kept her talking about it long enough.

Diane paled suddenly, "How did you get that in here?"

LeAnn smirked at her, "I wouldn't worry about that. Now, here's what's going to happen. You will tell the police that Mark was going to hurt me that day, and he had hurt me all those times before. That'll establish self-defense, and I don't think a DA will try to prosecute me for that. I'm pretty sure a jury wouldn't convict. Mark will go to prison for it, and you'll be free as a bird. If you don't, I'll turn this tape over to the police. I'll still be free, but both you and Mark can both go to prison for child abuse, you for not doing a damn thing about it and hitting me too. You just admitted it. Sounds fair, doesn't it? I'm giving you one last chance, Diane. I still remember some good times with you, and that's the only reason I'm doing it this way. Don't pass up this act of mercy on my part."

Diane paled further. LeAnn didn't do anything else, just stared at Diane. "You little bitch, how could you do this to your own mother?"

LeAnn snorted, "Mother? Yeah right. You aren't my mother, thank God for that. I'm so happy I'm not related to you and that bastard I used to call my father. I don't think I've ever been happier about anything in my whole life," she said.

Diane decided to push her luck and sneered at LeAnn, "Really? Well, Agent Stahl told me a little about this Tig character who is your real father after Deputy Hale told her. I suppose he is a great father. I hear he's into all kinds of interesting stuff, corpses, livestock. No wonder you're such a train wreck."

Standing in the cell listening to Diane insulting Tig, LeAnn had an epiphany. Tig was crazy and twisted, she had seen that side of him up close and personal. But she knew there was also something else in him. Today at the jail, he had been tough with her, but he had gotten her through this mess by giving her the focus to get it done. She still felt a little uneasy when it came to the corpses, but Tig was still her father. Strange though he may be, LeAnn knew she could rely on him to protect her, just like he would protect the club at all costs.

LeAnn glared at Diane, "Like you would know anything about him. I don't give a damn what you think of him. Why would I give a fuck what you think? And if I were you, I wouldn't go trying to goad me and piss me off," LeAnn said, as she held up the tape recorder again for further emphasis.

Diane just looked at her warily, "Fine. I'll do what you want. I don't want to go to prison."

LeAnn nodded, "Good. And then know this: I'm staying here in Charming. I never want to see you again. Go back to Ohio and stay there. Never, ever, come near me again. You and Mark will never see me again, and you'll never be my parents. My mother is dead, and I have a father now and a real family. Something you'll never be able to take from me. Now get out!"

Diane walked out, and LeAnn breathed a sigh of relief. That plan could have blown up in her face. Her mother could have admitted to nothing. But she had underestimated LeAnn and wanted to gloat, which worked out well for her. She stood in her cell and waited to see Chief Unser.

He came in a few minutes later, clearly impressed. "I don't know what you said to Diane, but she's changed her story. She says you were defending yourself now and that your father was going to hurt you and her. She told Stahl that was really what happened, and she is sticking to it. She said your father threatened her before, so she lied about what happened to protect herself. He'll be arrested back in Ohio, I've made the call to their authorities. Diane just said she was going back to Ohio. You're free to go, LeAnn. The Ohio police won't be charging you, and Stahl has nothing on you. Let's get you out of here."

LeAnn grinned at Unser. She showed the tape recorder. "She was stupid enough to admit everything. It's all I needed. Gemma taught me well."

Unser just laughed. "Come on, Gemma is still waiting here to pick you up. Clay and Tig left to get a hold of Rosen, but looks like you won't be needing him anymore."

LeAnn followed Unser into the main room. She saw Gemma and smiled at her. "What did you say to her?" a woman's voice shouted.

LeAnn turned around slowly. Agent Stahl was striding toward her, clearly pissed off. LeAnn just shrugged.

"I know you did something. She goes in there ready to put you away, and then she changes her story? I'm not buying it for a second. You were ready to make a deal with me!" She made certain that she raised her voice at the end, so Gemma heard.

LeAnn just looked at her, "Are you sure?"

Stahl suddenly smiled, realizing she had been played. "Well, aren't you something? I clearly underestimated you. But your mommy is dead because she was involved with SAMCRO not to mention a junkie, and your father is a sexual deviant and a killer. No wonder you turned out great," Stahl said snidely, trying to bait LeAnn into doing something stupid and echoing Diane's earlier words.

Gemma tensed. She hoped LeAnn would keep a cool head and not punch the bitch.

LeAnn started to laugh, "Who my parents are and my relationship with my father is none of your business. I'm happy I have different parents than the ones that raised me. You're just pissed now because you can't use me. Too bad. Looks like you're going to have to find another way to get what you want. Now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to be going. I've had enough of your hospitality."

LeAnn turned away from Stahl and walked over to Gemma, who looked down at her with motherly pride and an approving nod. "Time to go home, baby," she smiled.

LeAnn grinned back at her, "Yeah, home."

TBC

Author's Note: Like I said before, I'm no legal expert (not sure how laws regarding self-defense, etc. work exactly). I tried to make it somewhat realistic though. Tig and LeAnn's talk is coming up in the next chapter, I'm looking forward to writing it. Please, please let me know what you think! I see the story is getting hits, but are people liking it? For those who have given me your feedback, thanks so much! Reviews make me happy!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

When Gemma brought LeAnn back to the clubhouse, everyone was elated. They were sitting around, just catching up. Gemma had told everyone about Stahl baiting LeAnn after she was released, and LeAnn's amazing self-control. LeAnn shrugged, "I figured it wouldn't be worth all I had just gone through to get charged with assaulting an officer, even though I wanted to beat that bitch's face in. The look on her face was priceless. I should have told her never to fuck with me."

Chibs and the others laughed at LeAnn's comment, "Oh lass, you certainly are Tigger's girl," Chibs said. LeAnn smiled back at Chibs, but that idea still was taking some getting used to.

The guys started shooting pool. Tig and Clay were on their way back from Rosen's office, since Gemma had called and said everything was fine now.

LeAnn walked outside to smoke a cigarette. Gemma walked up to her, "How you doing, baby girl?"

LeAnn shrugged. "I'm all right. Tired though. It's been a rough couple of days."

Gemma looked slightly uncomfortable, but pressed ahead. "I know why you left the clubhouse last night."

LeAnn turned and looked at her. "Can we please not talk about that? Tig and I already started to cover it, and it was awkward enough. I didn't tell him that I wanted to gouge my eyes out right after I saw it."

Gemma laughed suddenly, even though LeAnn was completely serious. "Honey, I know Tig and you are just trying to get this father daughter thing figured out. He's a little crazy and psychotic, but he is still a loyal man worth knowing. Just talk to him, honey."

LeAnn nodded, "I know. We need to talk. I've pissed him off so much lately, it isn't even funny. So much has happened, just in a few days time. I mean I show up here, one DNA test down, I'm your niece, next we had the chapel confessional, second DNA test down, "surprise, Tig, you have another kid," awkward moment seeing your new found father in a compromising position, arrested, spent a night in a jail, then released. I think I've covered everything."

Gemma just smiled at her, "Life is never dull around here, baby."

LeAnn nodded, "Oh, I know that. I just like to keep the drama in my life to a minimum. Looks like I'm going to have to rethink that now that I'm staying here."

Gemma reached out and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear that had blown loose in the wind, "I'm happy you're here, baby. And you showed you can handle the heat that sometimes comes with what happens in this club. I'm proud of you."

LeAnn nodded again, throat too tight to speak. She had the Queen's approval. Gemma was still LeAnn's aunt, but now that relationship was changing quickly. She was becoming the mother she always wanted and needed. Maybe a little crazy and conniving, but LeAnn loved her for it. She knew she had to tell Gemma what Diane had told her about Laura and Rose. She needed to know, especially the fact that Rose knew all along.

LeAnn filled Gemma in on the conversation as best she could remember it, but it was hard to tell Gemma that her Laura basically didn't give a damn about her daughter. When LeAnn reached the point in the story about Rose, she thought she had never seen such a look of rage on Gemma's features. "So, they all kept you a secret? Don't worry, baby. They won't get away with it."

LeAnn looked at her, concerned, "Um, didn't I just mention something about less drama?"

Gemma smiled, "Don't you worry, baby. You leave it to me. I'll handle them."

LeAnn shook her head, "Oh no, no. If you're doing something to them, I want in. They fucked with my life just as much as yours."

Gemma shrugged, "I'll talk to Clay, and we'll see. Hey, I'm thinking of having an impromptu party tonight for you. We've been really busy lately, but this would be an official celebration for you being in the family. What do you say?"

LeAnn smiled, "I'm down for it." Suddenly, the roar of two Harleys came onto the lot: Clay and Tig. LeAnn felt a little nervous, but she knew she could handle this.

Clay walked up to her and hugged her, though LeAnn was clearly startled. "Welcome home, sweetheart. You did well." Clay had never shown affection or approval towards her, but LeAnn smiled gratefully at the compliment.

"Thanks, Clay. Sorry I had to make you waste a trip going down to get Rosen. I guess I didn't really need him," LeAnn said shyly.

"That's because you used your head and outsmarted the bitch on your own!" Clay laughed. He went over to Gemma and the two began to talk quietly. LeAnn turned to see Tig standing a little ways back from where Clay and she had been standing. She looked at him and asked, "Can we talk? I mean, if that's okay…"

Tig nodded, "Come on."

They were walking toward the picnic tables, but LeAnn stopped. She didn't want to sit down. She had been sitting in a cell for the night and wanted to get out and get some fresh air. She glanced at the bikes lined up outside the shop. She looked at Tig, who was looking at her strangely, "Can we go for a ride?" she asked, gesturing toward the bikes. Tig looked uncertain for a second, and then broke out in a grin. "Come on, let's go."

Tig led her over to his bike, which LeAnn thought was kinda cool. It had spikes and skulls on it, and it looked pretty badass. Tig got on and then looked at her expectantly. "Um, I've never ridden on a bike before. I hope that doesn't sound stupid," LeAnn said, feeling uncertain.

Tig shook his head. "Not hard, just get on. Put your feet on the foot pegs, and then hang on." LeAnn climbed on behind him and did as he said. He pulled his helmet off the handlebars and handed it back to her. LeAnn took it and put it on and put her arms around Tig's middle.

He started the bike and looked back at her, "You ready?"

LeAnn said in his ear, "Yeah, let's go."

Tig took them on a ride, and LeAnn loved it. They went outside Charming to a lake in Lodi. Tig pulled up next to it, and LeAnn got off, laughing. "That was awesome!" Tig just looked at her. She sounded so young and looked like a little kid in a candy store.

She handed him his helmet back, and he got off the bike. They walked a little ways over to the lake and stood by it. LeAnn was picking up rocks and skipping them across the lake. Tig looked uncertain, and she saw him run his hand through his unruly hair._ Does he do that when he's nervous?_ She really had no plan for going about this either, so she felt as uncertain as him.

"All right," Tig said, surprising her, "You and I need to get a few things straight. I'm not what you'll find in a normal father. I probably will never be what you would ever want to have as a parent. I have a lot of issues, and my own ways for coping with things. What you saw was…my way of coping with what Dana did, taking the girls away. I'm sorry you had to walk in on it. I was a dumbass for not locking the door."

_Tig had apologized to her! This was new._ LeAnn frowned, "It wasn't just that. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was disgusting, and I don't want to know what you do with women or..um…anything else (_like animals or corpses, LeAnn thought to herself_). You're a grown man, do what you want. I'm not going to bitch at you for that. I just couldn't get out of my head that you did the same thing to my mother, and it made me sick. But I've had some more time to think. My adoptive mom told me more about my mom too." At this point, LeAnn looked over at Tig. He was listening to her intently.

"I really don't know what happened that night with the two of you. That was between you and her, and I've decided that I've got no right to try to pass judgment about it. It happened, and I'm here. I do know that she didn't tell Diane that you had raped her," LeAnn took a deep breath. She didn't want to admit to Tig how much her mother didn't even want her.

"Diane told me that she didn't want me. She never even held me when I was born. She said that she didn't want kids, so she passed me off on her best friend. At first, I wanted to believe that Diane would lie about that, just to hurt me. But I know she didn't. She was just telling me what happened. I don't understand why Laura did what she did, I probably never will. Diane told me that she was self-destructive. She just didn't get it. Diane said that she thought because she was a woman and Gemma's sister that nothing would happen to her."

Tig looked confused, "She seriously thought that the Club wouldn't hurt a rat, no matter who they were and she already had one chance?"

LeAnn nodded, "I don't know if she was thinking too clearly. I'm probably lucky to be alive, considering how many drugs she did while she was pregnant," LeAnn said bitterly. "I've decided that I'm putting it behind me. Laura Maddock was my mother, she gave birth to me. But she didn't give a damn about me. She's gone, and nothing is going to change that. I want to move forward instead of looking back on what could have been if she had done things differently," LeAnn's voice had started to shake slightly when she was talking about Laura, but she held it together, simply for the fact she didn't want to be bawling all over Tig. Her eyes were wet though as she looked out over the water, and she was sure Tig noticed.

LeAnn turned and locked eyes with Tig, staring into his blue eyes, "I understand why you did what you did for the club now. I get it. I don't envy you that patch though," LeAnn said, nodding at the Sergeant at Arms patch on his cut. "Maybe it means doing things that you probably wouldn't rather do. Sometimes that would be a difficult burden to bear, and how you cope with it is difficult for people to understand. But you do it for loyalty. I understand that better now than I did before, and I respect it. I think I understand you a little better now than I did when I first met you. You said you wouldn't know how to be a "normal" father, and you're a little… twisted," LeAnn couldn't think of a better word than that. "But I haven't had a normal family growing up anyway. The man I thought was my father was an abusive bastard. I think that what normal is has to be relative to what you know. I'm okay with you being my dad, Tig, and I want us to get to know each other. I just hope we can find a way to define what normal is for us."

Tig had just stood and listened to LeAnn throughout her whole speech. He said nothing, and LeAnn felt that she had said too much and began to feel nervous. "You're not saying anything, Tig. I mean, if you don't want to get to know me and try, then just tell…" but LeAnn stopped when Tig reached out his arm to her.

He had reached out slowly and pulled her into him. It wasn't a real hug, more like he just put his arm around her and squeezed her. LeAnn's head was against shoulder, and she leaned into him and buried her face into his cut and put her one arm around him. She felt him nod against her head, and he looked down at her, "I think we'll be fine, kid."

LeAnn smiled to herself and held their half hug for a moment. _That's good enough for me_, she thought. She laughed and said, "Just promise me one thing?"

"What's that?"

"That you'll always lock your dorm room door from now on. I never want to see that shit again."

Tig laughed and just nodded.

"Well, isn't this the sweetest thing you've ever seen?" a man's voice sneered.

LeAnn and Tig turned to see a man striding towards them with two other guys flanking him. LeAnn shot a quick look at Tig, who looked extremely pissed. He thought that this lake, which was on the outskirts of Lodi, would be all right for a talk with LeAnn. He hadn't really thought through that Ernest Darby and his crew would come out here.

Darby looked at LeAnn and smirked at her, "Real beauty you have there, Tig. Be a pity if something happened to her."

Tig stepped in front of her, and sneered, "Fuck off, Darby, you racist piece of shit."

LeAnn looked out from behind Tig's shoulder and saw the tattoo on Darby's chest, "It must be difficult to make friends with hate like that stamped on your chest," LeAnn observed softly.

Darby just laughed at LeAnn's comment, but he was searching her face with an observant look, "You know, sweetheart, you remind me of someone. I just can't place who. You two are in Lodi, which is my turf. Maybe it's time to have a little fun here."

Darby's two guys were eyeing her, and LeAnn felt terrified and a sense of disquiet at the same time. The only person she looked exactly like was her mother. Had Darby known her? Tig kept her behind him, and he stepped towards Darby's men with his hand on the handle of his knife. Suddenly, there was a roar of another motorcycle, and LeAnn saw Happy pull up. She almost wanted to shout with joy. Happy got off his bike and came towards them. He pulled his knife out, and his cold eyes were surveying Darby and his men. LeAnn noted with satisfaction that Darby had paled considerably when he saw Happy.

"Still want to have fun, Darby?" Tig taunted coldly.

Darby backed away, but his eyes found LeAnn's again. He grinned at her, and LeAnn felt cold inside. "Maybe some other time."

"That's what I thought," Tig snapped. Darby and his guys quickly left.

"Thanks, man. Hey, how'd you know we were here?" Tig asked Happy.

"Didn't. Just was driving by and saw you might need help. You all right, doll?" he asked LeAnn in his gravelly voice.

"I'm fine. Thank you," LeAnn smiled gratefully at Happy. She had no doubt Tig would have been able to protect her, but it probably would have gotten Tig hurt. Happy had defused the situation by providing backup, and even though he scared LeAnn slightly, his arrival had been most welcome.

They made it back to the clubhouse in time for the beginning of the party. They grilled out and had a great time, sitting around, drinking and smoking. LeAnn heard a lot of stories about SAMCRO's adventures, including how Tig got into a losing fight with a Doberman and had a bite mark on his ass to show for it, which she thought was pretty funny. However, as LeAnn hung out and shot pool with Juice, Half-Sack, Bobby, and Chibs, she noticed that Tig, Gemma, and Clay were over by the bar, talking quietly. _I wonder what's up there_, she thought. Just then her cell phone rang, and LeAnn took the call. The number on the phone appeared to be coming from an unidentified caller. _Odd_, LeAnn thought.

"Hello?"

"Well, well, well, I see you're going to get away with it. Blackmailing your mother was a nice touch I have to give you that. Must be learning a lot from those asshole bikers you're living with now, bitch."

Having been leaning back in her chair completely relaxed, LeAnn sat bolt upright, letting the legs of her chair come slamming down on the floor, every fiber of her being tense and coiled. LeAnn shuddered involuntarily. That voice had always made her want to run and hide and had terrorized her every day of her life. "Aren't you supposed to be in jail, you miserable bastard?"

Mark laughed, "Well, your mother was kind enough to give me a heads up that the police probably would be arresting me, as soon as she got done talking to you. Since I woke up from the coma, I have been feeling great, so I made myself scarce before the police could arrest me. Just a little head injury anyway, but you still tried to kill me. So sweet of your mother don't you think, even if she had to turn on me. I get why though. I'm not mad at her, you're the problem. So, sweetheart, now that I recovered in record time, I thought I'd warn you that I will be seeing you soon. None of your biker buddies are going to be able to save you."

LeAnn felt rage and fear surge through her at the same time. She started yelling where everyone could hear, "Yeah, well come then, and I'll finish what I started, you bastard!"

Mark laughed again, "You're going to get your wish, bitch. See you soon," and he ended the call.

LeAnn swallowed hard and started shaking. She couldn't help it. Years of abuse had damaged her. Yes, she was strong, intelligent, independent, and fierce. But when Mark Miller was involved, LeAnn felt zero confidence and became a frightened little girl again. Juice stood up and took her phone from her. "I'll see if I can trace the call or do something with your phone to find out where he is, LeAnn," he said. LeAnn figured it was pretty obvious to everyone who had called her.

LeAnn expected Gemma to come over and comfort her, but it was Tig, who merely walked over closer to her, not holding her or hugging her. He leaned down and whispered right into her ear, "That motherfucker is never going to lay his hands on you again, you got me?"

LeAnn pulled back slightly, so she could meet Tig's gaze. She recognized his intense stare for what it was, the promise of death. And in that moment, it was exactly what she needed. LeAnn merely nodded her head back. Her father would protect her…

_A few hours later_

It was amazing what Juice could find out when he put his mind to it. The party had pretty much wrapped up at TM, Jax and Tara had taken LeAnn back to their place, and she was staying with them for the night. Clay had told her that this time she needed to stay with someone at all times, no matter what, while he called Unser to find out if the Ohio PD knew anything about Mark. But now as Tig Trager and Gemma Teller-Morrow walked down the hotel corridor, heading to Diane Miller's room, Tig thought about his new kid. He used to carry some guilt over what happened to Laura, but he would never apologize for it. He and everyone else hadn't wanted to do it, but they had no choice. LeAnn's speech to him had unblocked him somehow. It was still in the past, but now they could move forward. She was willing to forget it, and so was he. It made him feel a little better that LeAnn was willing to look past his weirdness and accept he wasn't normal. It took some pressure off him, knowing she didn't have a normal family to compare him with. He wasn't going to accept anyone threatening her though, and that's where Diane came in. Her husband might have confided his whereabouts to her. Tig had forced Juice to sit down and find out where Diane was, and Gemma wanted to come along for a few words with Diane, as well. She had used her credit card to check into a hotel in Charming and had a flight back to Ohio the next day. Now, Tig knocked on her door and stepped slightly to the side with Gemma, hoping she would stupidly open the door without trying to see who it was.

"Who's there?" Diane asked, as she opened the door. Tig took quick advantage of it, pushing her back into the room. Gemma followed him in and slammed the door behind them. Diane stumbled back a few steps and her eyes widened in fear. _Good, the stupid bitch had the good sense to be frightened_, Tig thought happily. "What do you want?" Diane asked, but she couldn't hide the fear in her voice.

Tig stepped closer, "Where is that bastard husband of yours?"

Diane shook her head, "I don't know what you are…"

She didn't get any farther than that because Tig grabbed her by the throat and pushed her into the wall.

"Listen to me, bitch. Your husband called up the kid, threatened her. Said you were the one who tipped him off. I can't tell if you're stupid or you just have a death wish. The kid let you off the hook once, now you are bound and determined to piss her off. But you have a bigger problem now: me. So, you tell me where he is right now or you will find out why people say I'm crazy."

Diane swallowed hard, "I'm telling you the truth. I had to call and warn him. He said he wasn't mad at me. I'm going back to Ohio tomorrow. I don't know what will happen with my marriage. So, you're the little bitch's real father, huh?"

Tig tightened his grip on her throat, "Bitch, if your husband contacts you again, you tell him that if he ever comes near her, I will slit his throat. And for your sake, you better not be lying to me. If I have to go all the way to Ohio to find you, don't think I won't, and I won't be happy and neither will you once I find you. Remember that," he shoved her backwards and stepped away from her as she slid down the wall.

Gemma leaned over her and spoke softly to her, "Never EVER come back here again. I know LeAnn told you to leave, but now we are. After what you put my niece through, you are damn lucky we are even letting you walk out of this town alive. You do not fuck with me or my family, do you understand me?"

Diane nodded frantically. Gemma was truly terrifying, not on Tig's level of course, but still terrifying. "Yes, yes, I understand." Gemma nodded and she and Tig walked out of the room without looking back.

_The next morning_

Ernest Darby sat in one of the diners in Charming. For once, he wanted no trouble with SAMCRO, he just liked the diner in Charming. The food was better than the shit in Lodi. He drank coffee, and he minded his own business, but the patrons still looked at him and his tattoos with unease. The door to the diner opened, and a man walked in and sat down next to him and ordered coffee. He looked at Darby, "Nice tats, man."

Darby shrugged, "They say what I want people to know. You must be new here. I'm pretty well known around Lodi and Charming."

The man nodded, "Yes, I'm new here. Just came here to collect my daughter."

Darby nodded, "Good luck with that."

"She's hanging out with some god damn bikers, some group called Sons of Anarchy."

Now, Darby's interest was piqued. He wanted the Sons gone from Charming, so this was an interesting development that this guy was looking at SAMCRO. Suddenly, Darby remembered the girl he had seen Trager with, and he also finally remembered who she reminded him of.

"Your kid, she have long auburn hair, blue eyes?"

"Yeah, that's her. Little bitch isn't really my kid, but I raised her. I'll be damned if I let her get away with making me look like a fool. I want her and those motorcycle bastards she's with to pay."

Darby smiled and laughed, "Well, I think you and I are going to get along just great!"

TBC

Author's Note: LeAnn's line to Darby about his tattoos is not mine, just thought I'd mention that. I think Lumpy says that to him in Season 3 though. We're getting down to it now, and things will heat up in the next chapter. Review and let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Ernest Darby walked up to Marcus Alvarez, who sat on one of the picnic tables in the park. Darby had set up a meeting with him within the hour that Mark Miller filled him in on what he wanted, and Darby had formed a plan. Now, he just hoped he could convince the Mexican leader to help him, since he needed the man power to pull this off. Ordinarily, he didn't want anything to do with Alvarez because of his beliefs, but this was a chance he couldn't pass up. He was willing to swallow his pride if it meant a chance of getting rid of SAMCRO.

"What do you want?" Alvarez seemed almost bored.

"I want Charming, and I think you know that. You want SAMCRO's gun business. The only thing standing in the way is the Sons, we get rid of them our lives become so much easier. We have a common enemy, but they are always ready for us. I think I have a way to give us the element of surprise," Darby said.

"I'm listening," Alvarez said. Darby smiled and laid out his plan.

LeAnn woke up with a headache and had no idea where she was. _I'm in jail, no I'm in the clubhouse, no I'm at Jax's house, yeah that's right. _As if to confirm it, LeAnn heard Abel begin wailing. It was late morning, but LeAnn wanted to go back to sleep. She grabbed her pillow and pulled it over her head to drown out Abel's crying. _Go back to sleep, Abel, please_, she thought, but Abel kept crying. LeAnn realized she wasn't going to get anymore sleep and dragged herself out of bed to take a shower. Tara and Neeta, Jax's babysitter, were in the kitchen when she walked in. Tara was ready to head out to work. "Half-Sack called. He's coming to get you and take you to the clubhouse." LeAnn nodded. She was looking forward to finding out if the Sons found out about anything else about Mark.

She and Half-Sack were in the van about a half an hour later, headed back to the clubhouse. "Oh, shit. This thing needs gas. Mind if we stop? I should have done it before I got you," Half-Sack said apologetically.

"It's all good. Go ahead." LeAnn said. Neither of them noticed the vehicle that had been following them since they had left Jax's house.

They stopped at the gas station, and LeAnn said she'd pay for it and headed inside. She paid the clerk and came back out to the van. Half-Sack wasn't anywhere to be seen, and LeAnn ran over to the van. Just then she felt a knife to her throat. "No sudden moves, honey." LeAnn recognized the voice and thought, _No, it can't be_. Then LeAnn's head was slammed repeatedly into the side of the van, and everything went black.

When LeAnn regained consciousness, she was tied up in a chair in the middle of a room. She felt blood running down into her eye from her scalp. She rolled her neck and tried to get free of the chair. "Sorry about that, sweetheart. Your daddy was a little overzealous when he grabbed you. But we can't have you getting loose," Darby told her.

LeAnn glared at him. He was standing in front of her along with Mark and a Mexican man she didn't recognize. To her left, Half-Sack was tied up in a chair too, unconscious and his head was bleeding badly. Darby was watching her closely and said, "Oh, don't worry about him. He's still alive."

"What do you want?" LeAnn asked.

Darby laughed, "You know, when I first saw you that day by the lake with Trager, I had the strangest feeling I knew you. It took me a while to place it." Darby had come up to LeAnn and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "You look exactly like Laura."

LeAnn just stared at him. He laughed, "Your mom was one of my best clients. She loved the shit I sold. She left town for a while and then she came back a little over 9 months later. Guessing that was when she had you? We got together after that, but nobody really knew about it. She was a good fuck. I got her hooked on some great stuff. From some of the things she said when she was high, I realized she knew some stuff about SAMCRO. I, of course, encouraged her to go to the feds, even told her the feds would probably give her all kinds of shit. But then she started to back down, saying she didn't think she'd get another chance, whatever that meant. She told me she wanted to make things work with her sister. I told her I wouldn't supply her anymore if she didn't go through with it. So she did, and then she ended up dead. What a waste of an opportunity to destroy the enemy," Darby reminisced, but without any remorse.

LeAnn realized what Darby had done. Darby had been feeding Laura's drug addiction, plus he threatened to withhold the drugs. _Bastard_, LeAnn thought angrily. "I wonder if you are as good a fuck as she was," he said, looking over her body.

LeAnn felt bile rise up in her throat, and she spit on Darby's face. "Fuck you, you racist bastard!" Darby punched LeAnn in the face, and her head throbbed.

Mark came up and grabbed LeAnn by the hair and hit her again. "If you know what's good for you, you'll keep your mouth shut!"

Darby reached into LeAnn's pocket and grabbed her phone. "This is what's going to happen, bitch. Mark is going to call SAMCRO and tell them he has you. He'll tell them to bring 20,000 dollars to this address in three hours. It's your ransom. Too bad when they get here they will be walking into an a trap. But don't worry, you and this guy will be dead long before they get here, so you won't have to watch your new buddies get blown away."

LeAnn couldn't even think of anything to say. The Mexican man simply said, "SAMCRO doesn't know what they will be walking into. My men and Darby's men are going to ambush them when they come into this warehouse to get you. They'll think it's only your dear padre who has you. So, they won't be expecting all my men and Darby's to be here."

"I thought Darby was a racist. Since when do you like him?" LeAnn was desperate to cause any amount of discord she could, so she and the Sons could get out of this situation alive.

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart. In terms of business, he'll take Charming, and I'll take the gun business, and there will be no SAMCRO for either of us to worry about anymore. It's all about business for me, nothing personal against you," he said.

"Nice plan, except when I talk to them I'm going to tell them you and Darby have me and Kip," LeAnn snapped.

Alvarez pulled a gun out and pointed it at Half-Sack's head. "You'll do what we say, unless you think he's bullet proof," he said dangerously.

"You're going to kill us anyway. Why should I do anything else?" LeAnn was panicking now, but she tried to keep her voice calm.

"You never know what could happen," Alvarez said. "Might as well do what we say. At least then you'll have a chance, not much but at least it's small."

"Make the call, Mark." Darby ordered.

LeAnn was desperate to stop them. "Why work with them, Mark? What are you getting out of this?"

He grabbed LeAnn's face. "I'm getting the satisfaction of knowing I can get rid of you finally. Should have done it years ago, all you ever did was make my life miserable. Then you went and tried to bash my head in. You'll get what's coming to you. And then, out of gratitude, Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Darby are going to give me enough money that I'll be able to get out of this town and disappear. It works out well for everyone except you and SAMCRO."

LeAnn didn't think they would actually pay him. Probably they would kill him after they got what they wanted, but that didn't do her any good. Clay, Tig, Bobby, Chibs, Jax, Opie, Juice, and Happy could be dead by then, along with her and Half-Sack.

There wasn't an option. LeAnn wasn't about to cause Kip's death. She could only hope that they might leave her alone long enough that she could get loose. She nodded. Darby handed LeAnn's phone to Mark and gagged her with a rag.

The guys were at the garage just waiting. Juice had been trying to find information on Mark Miller, with no results. And all Unser knew was that the Ohio PD couldn't find the man. Half-Sack had been sent to get LeAnn and still wasn't back yet. Tig was nervous, and he sensed something was wrong. He and LeAnn had just reached a tentative understanding, and he wasn't sure where things would go from here. His phone rang, and Tig answered. "Well, Mr. Trager, I don't believe you and I have met. The name is Mark Miller, and I have my daughter with me, oh wait, I guess she's your daughter, isn't she? I want 20,000 dollars in three hours at the warehouse on the corner of 4th and Williams. Bring it, she lives. You don't, she and her little bodyguard die."

Tig answered angrily, "You're dead if you touch her. I need to confirm it. Put her on the phone right now."

Mark smiled, "Sure thing."

Alvarez cocked the gun still pointed at Half-Sack's head, and Darby removed the gag and hissed in her ear, "Don't do anything stupid."

LeAnn glared at them, but as the phone was put up to her ear she said, "Hello?"

Tig inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, "You doing okay?"

LeAnn was desperately trying to think of a way to let Tig know what was really going on, but she couldn't think of a way without causing Alvarez to shoot Half-Sack. "I'm okay. Half-Sack's here too. He's unconscious though."

Mark ripped the phone away from her ear and Darby gagged her again, "That's all you get. She's alive. Whether she stays that way is up to you. Three hours," and he ended the call.

Tig turned to Clay. "Bastard has LeAnn and the prospect. We have three hours to get 20 K and bring it to him. He said he'll let the kids go if we do. I want to kill him myself, Clay. After we get the kids, he's dead."

Clay nodded, "Get the money together, and let's get a couple of the guys to go with us."

"We better get ready, Darby," Alvarez said. "Let's get our guys in position in the front of the warehouse." Darby nodded and the two exited the room, without looking back.

Mark took LeAnn's gag off, and said, "Have fun, kid. You're not going anywhere, so I'll be back soon to finish you off. I'll let you sit here and think about how I'm going to get rid of you for a while. Better say your prayers."

When he left, LeAnn desperately tried to wake up Half-Sack, "Half-Sack? Kip? Wake up! Come on!" He didn't respond, so with her legs free, LeAnn kicked his leg to wake him up.

Half-Sack finally woke up. "What's going on?" he mumbled.

"Some Mexicans, Darby's guys, and my former father have teamed up. The Sons are walking into a bloodbath. We've got to get loose and warn them. Do you have a knife or anything?" LeAnn asked quickly.

"Yeah, I've got one in my boot. A lot of good that does though. I can't believe they are leaving us in here with no one to watch us," Half-Sack said.

LeAnn looked around the room desperately and noticed a really jagged piece of metal sticking out of the wall. "Oh, that might work," she said.

She scooted quickly over to the metal in her chair, using her legs to move herself along. She stood up and brought her wrist up to the metal and worked one of the binds free. She got one arm free and untied her other arm. Now, loose, LeAnn raced to Half-Sack and grabbed his knife and got his bonds free quickly. She handed him his knife. "Do you have a phone or anything?"

"I have my pre-pay."

"Are you kidding? They left you with that? How stupid are they?" LeAnn asked.

"Probably didn't think you'd be so creative and get loose," he said.

"Their loss. We need to call the guys. Tell them what they'll be walking into. I want Mark Miller dead, Kip. I want him to die," LeAnn said bitterly.

Half-Sack just looked at her. "They said that we're in a warehouse on the corner of 4th and Williams. We need to get out of here. Then they can't use us as leverage anymore," LeAnn said quickly.

Just then, they heard footsteps approaching the door. Half-Sack and LeAnn looked at each other and nodded in silent agreement. She grabbed her chair and moved closer to the door, and he moved behind the door. Once Mark Miller was walking into the room, LeAnn hit him in the face with her chair. He fell but was still conscious. Half-Sack struggled with him, and Mark grabbed Half-Sack's knife. LeAnn tried to shove him away from Half-Sack so he wouldn't stab him, but he slashed her with the knife, connecting with her arm. Crying out, LeAnn kicked at Mark's hand, causing him to drop the knife on the floor. Half-Sack punched Mark in the face, and LeAnn grabbed the knife and held it to his throat. Half-Sack searched Mark and took his gun, and LeAnn forced him to his feet with Half-Sack helping her. They gagged him quickly. "Are you going to kill him?" Half-Sack whispered.

"Not yet, I want to take him to Tig and Happy. I'd love for him to meet them. I think they would love to get to know Mark better," LeAnn said coldly.

They forced Mark out of the room and out one of the back doors of the warehouse. Luckily, they made it out without being seen. They got away from the warehouse, since they figured the main group of men would be in the front, still setting up positions.

Once they were in another building, further away from the warehouse, Half-Sack and LeAnn tied up Mark to a chair. She pulled her shirt down to look at the knife wound on her arm. It wasn't that deep, but it was still bleeding pretty heavily. Her head was also still bleeding fiercely from where her head had been slammed into the van and the hits she took from Darby and Mark. Half-Sack's head was bad too, but he quickly called the guys to let them know what was going on and to come to this warehouse instead. "The guys should be here soon. They were planning on bringing the money, but now they're coming here obviously."

LeAnn looked startled, "They can get 20,000 dollars in three hours? Damn!"

Half-Sack looked at her, surprised, "What did you expect? They were going to bring the money just in case but I think they planned on killing Mark. It's a good thing we got out of there that quick. Now, I think Darby and Alvarez will back off without leverage."

Clay called Alvarez, as soon as he knew what was going on. "I hear you're doing something extremely stupid, like teaming with Darby and a shithead to try to bring us down. Your leverage is gone, the kids got away. Maybe you should have kept a better eye on them. We're not showing up, unless you want me to call in a bunch of other charters to meet you at that warehouse. Go home, but don't think this won't affect our business."

Alvarez realized what happened. He saw the room where the kids had been was empty. He couldn't believe he didn't leave one of his guys with them. He took his guys and left. Darby was beyond pissed that he had fucked this opportunity up, but he took his guys and left too. They both knew SAMCRO would make their lives miserable for quite a while, but at least they'd be alive.

A little while later, Clay and company walked through the door of the warehouse they were hiding in. LeAnn was holding a rag over her wound, and Chibs came over to her. "I don't think it's too bad, Chibs," she said quietly.  
>"Lass, your head's bleeding too. I'd rather be safe than sorry," he said softly.<p>

LeAnn looked over at Clay and Tig, pleading with her eyes, "I wanted to let you know what was going on, but they told me they were going to kill Kip if I did. They had a gun to his head when I was on the phone with Tig."

Clay came over to her, "You did good. You both did. You got away, didn't you? And you let us know what was happening before it was too late."

Meanwhile, Happy and Tig were approaching Mark, both grinning manically, and Mark looked absolutely petrified.

But Mark made one last desperate play. He had a very small pocket knife that Half-Sack had missed when searching him. He had worked his bonds loose with it while he had been in the chair and took a flying leap at Half-Sack's gun, who was standing with his back to him with the gun in the waistband of his jeans.

LeAnn shouted, "Watch out!"

Mark raised the gun and took a wild shot before Happy knocked the gun away from him and punched him in the face. Everyone was still for a moment, but LeAnn looked around and saw Tig, lying on the floor. He had gotten shot in the stomach from the one shot Mark had managed to fire. Chibs and Juice crouched down next to him.

"Get the van!" Clay roared, "We have to get to the hospital now!"

"Tig, TIG!" LeAnn screamed, running to him. His eyes were closed, but LeAnn could tell he was still breathing. It was shallow, but steady. Chibs squeezed her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Half-Sack raced out and got the van. Juice and Chibs picked up Tig and carried him outside carefully. LeAnn tried to get up, but her head was pounding. Tig couldn't die, he couldn't. He seemed so invincible. They had reached somewhat of an understanding, before she had been taken by Mark. She knew Tig cared about her, and she cared about him. This was the last thing she wanted to happen.

LeAnn turned to Happy, who was still holding Mark at gunpoint. She met his dark eyes and seemed to communicate to him silently, and Happy understood LeAnn's unspoken wish. Happy looked to Clay, who stood behind her. Happy must have seen something he liked when Clay motioned to him because he smiled coldly as he grabbed Mark by the neck and forced him to his knees.

Clay said icily, "You should never have come here. Now, you're about to find out what happens when you hurt people in this family. This is what happens to people who fuck with SAMCRO."

LeAnn stared at him and said with cold hatred, "Rot in hell, you miserable bastard."

Mark opened his mouth, but Happy put the gun to his head and blew his brains out before he could get any words out. LeAnn stared down at his body for a second, then she looked at Clay. "I have to get to the hospital. I have to be there. I can't leave him now."

Clay quickly delegated out duties for everyone else, which included cleaning up the scene. And then Jax led her outside…

LeAnn barely remembered the trip to the hospital. She was in a haze after everything that had happened. Tara treated her head injuries and stitched the wound in her arm, and then she sat waiting for news on Tig. He was in surgery. The guys were there, but nobody said a word. Gemma came racing in and pulled LeAnn into her arms, "Oh, baby, are you all right?" LeAnn didn't have the strength to answer her. Tara had come in later and said that Tig would be in surgery for a while, and she had no news on his condition.

Happy walked in and came over to LeAnn. "It's all taken care of, kid. You won't have to worry about him ever again." She looked at him and said, "This is all my fault, Happy. Mark shot Tig. Mark was here because of me. He got untied and got the gun. I should have been watching better."

Happy leaned down next to her. "This isn't your fault, doll. It was a wild shot, could have easily hit me or anyone else, and you know it. You need to be strong for Tig. Don't you dare sit there and feel sorry for yourself and blame yourself for this." LeAnn stared at Happy, and he merely nodded at her and got up to go talk to Clay.

LeAnn decided she couldn't sit there anymore. Tig didn't deserve this. She had to do something to help him…Suddenly, LeAnn knew what she needed to do, but she just hoped it would work. She went over to Clay and Gemma, "I have to go somewhere. I'll have my phone on. Call me if absolutely anything happens, and I will be back right away. But first, I need you to tell me something…"

LeAnn drove up to the house Clay and Gemma had given her the address to. She rang the door bell and waited. The door opened, and Dawn's smiling face appeared in the doorway. "I have candy when I'm not supposed to!" she told LeAnn, holding up the candy proudly, and grinning like she was getting away with something horrible. LeAnn managed a weary smile at her younger sister.

Dawn looked confused for a second, "Mommy said we couldn't see you and Daddy anymore. You're going to make her mad by coming here." She suddenly looked closer at LeAnn, "Are you okay?" she asked, seeing the bandages and the bruises on her face.

"I'm all right, Dawn," LeAnn assured the little girl. "I need to talk to your mom."

Dawn opened the door wider, "Come in. I'll get her."

LeAnn stepped inside and closed the door. She had a feeling Dana wasn't going to be too thrilled about this little visit. "Mommy, my sister is here!" Dawn shouted.

"What are you talking about, baby? Fawn's down in the basement…" Dana had entered the room and saw LeAnn standing there. "Get out or I will call the police!"

"Mommy, please don't!" Dawn shouted. LeAnn took the opportunity to talk now that Dawn had caused Dana to hesitate. "I don't want trouble, I promise. I just would like to talk to you for a moment, alone," LeAnn said.

Dana looked at her uncertainly. "What happened? Did your father give you those bruises and that head injury? Decided to come here after realizing what he is?"

"Please, can I just talk to you for a minute in private?" LeAnn was trying very hard to hold her temper, but she didn't want Dana saying bad things about Tig now. She couldn't take it…

Maybe Dana saw the exhaustion on LeAnn's face, so she nodded. "Dawn, go downstairs and stay with Fawn." Dawn left with a pouty look on her face.

Dana said, "You have one minute."

LeAnn took a deep breath and plunged in, getting her speech in rapidly, "I want to apologize to you for what happened the last time you saw me. I had no right to jump in and insult you for the way you raised your daughters. It wasn't my place, and I'm sorry. I'm here now because I'm begging you for another chance. I don't know what happened between you and Tig, so I don't know if what I am asking from you is even fair. But I'm asking you for another chance, not for me, but for Tig and his girls. You asked me about these bruises and this head wound? My adoptive father tried to hurt me, and Tig came to protect me. He's been shot. He's in surgery right now. They don't know if he'll make it. I'm sorry if I'm being blunt, but I don't have time for anything else. Tig has never said anything specific, but I saw the look on his face when you left that day with the girls. He was devastated. I'm those girls' sister, and I would love the chance to know them and see them grow up. I know Tig would too. Please, I know I have no right to ask you this, and I know that I'm overstepping. But I can't sit by and let Tig never have the chance to know his daughters. He thought I was dead for my whole life. I missed out on a lot of time with him, but those girls have a chance to know him. Don't take that away now. I'm begging you."

Dana looked stricken, "Tig's been shot?"

LeAnn nodded, "Yes, he has. You don't have to like Tig. I know his lifestyle is a little out there, and he's a little crazy. But he is loyal to the people he cares about, Dana. I believe he loves his family, it is the common tie that binds us together. I love my family too, my aunt, my uncle, my cousin, and Tig. Please, let those girls be a part of our lives. I would love to be in my sisters' lives. It doesn't have to be all the time, but just don't shut us out of knowing them. That's all I'm asking. And I'm not asking you to decide right now. Just please think about it."

LeAnn reached in her jeans pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, "This is my cell number. I'll just leave it here. You can call me anytime. I will call you in the next few hours, and I'll give you an update on Tig's condition. I figure you should know that much."

LeAnn stepped away from her and opened the door, "Thank you for at least hearing me out. I appreciate it," and with that, LeAnn headed back to her car. She had wanted to do something for Tig, and reaching out and trying to make peace with Dana was the best thing she could come up with. She just hoped that Dana would at least consider what she had said to her.

As she was headed back into Charming and was almost at the hospital, LeAnn's cell phone rang. She picked up immediately. "LeAnn, it's Clay. I have news about Tig…"

LeAnn stepped into the room Tara had led her to. Tig had just gotten out of surgery, but he was very critical and still was unconscious. LeAnn pulled a chair over to the side of his bed and looked at Tig. He was so pale, but he looked peaceful. The doctors weren't sure if he would survive the night. The bullet had done a lot of internal damage, and he had lost a lot of blood. LeAnn ran her hand over her face as she sat next to Tig.

So much had happened since she had first met Tig that night in front of the shop. It seemed a lifetime ago, when in reality, it had been only just a short time. LeAnn felt a strange disconnect in her own life. It seemed that there was the girl who had first arrived in Charming. That girl had been afraid and alone, without anyone to turn to. Then, when she became a member of Gemma Teller-Morrow's family, it had opened a new door and a new life for her and a stronger girl was beginning to emerge. Part of that new life included wanting to know the new father she had, Tig Trager. They hadn't had the chance to really get to know each other yet, but LeAnn didn't want to lose that chance now. "Please, Dad, you can't die. I need you here with me. You can't leave me not like this! Don't leave me alone again." LeAnn realized in that moment that this was the first time that she had actually called Tig "Dad." LeAnn's heart filled with emotion, as she finally allowed herself to fully acknowledge her feelings about Tig. LeAnn lifted her head and said a prayer with tears streaming down her face, "Please God, don't let him die!"

TBC

Author's Note: We're almost to the end! Please let me know what you think of this chapter! Reviews make me happy!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The End

_6 months later_

"Come on, LeAnn! We're going to be late!" Dawn shouted at her. LeAnn shook her head. _Some things never change_, she thought. LeAnn's younger sisters were crazy in their own way, similar to Tig, but she only found that out when she got to know them. They were headed to the park to meet up with Tara and Abel, and the girls, especially Dawn, were really excited.

Things had changed a lot in six months, starting with LeAnn's living arrangements. She now had a house and a job at Teller Morrow Automotive, helping with office work and anything else that needed to be done. The house LeAnn lived in was not actually hers though, it was Tig's.

Tig had survived that night, and LeAnn had sat by his bed, praying he'd wake up. Finally in the early morning hours, Tig had finally opened his eyes, and looked at LeAnn, "You look like hell!" were his first words to her. LeAnn had been so happy to finally see him awake that she didn't care, but she did fire back, "You don't look so great yourself, you know!" She squeezed his hand and told him that she was happy he was okay, and he squeezed her hand back tightly and smiled weakly.

Later that morning, LeAnn had promptly called Dana and notified her of Tig's status. She just thanked LeAnn for the information, and LeAnn didn't push her at all. In the aftermath of what happened, the Nords and the Mayans were on thin ice with SAMCRO for good reason, but at least everyone was alive. LeAnn had actually hoped that SAMCRO might try and kill Darby since she hated him with a passion, but she got the feeling that they were waiting for the right time. LeAnn didn't really spare much thought about Mark. It was assumed he had gone into hiding, and the police couldn't find him. LeAnn knew they would never find his body, Happy wasn't an enforcer for the Sons for nothing. LeAnn shared with Gemma and Tig Darby's confession about her mother. Her mother's actions had confused her so much, but she let it go. She hadn't forgotten her mother, but in the end, LeAnn had found a mother in Gemma and that was all she could ever hope for. As for her adoptive mother, Diane never contacted LeAnn again and never returned to Charming, since Gemma and Tig had put the fear of God in her. As for Rose, Gemma had gone to visit her. LeAnn wasn't sure what had been done, but Gemma seemed happier, even though she never told LeAnn the details of the visit. She thought maybe Gemma was going to put Rose in a horrible rest home or something like that.

Stahl was still in Charming, trying desperately to destroy SAMCRO. LeAnn ignored her as much as possible, growing tired of her endless insults about who her real father was and how horrible he was. She just didn't care about Stahl's actions. Stahl had looked into Mark's disappearance, but without a body, she had no case. LeAnn had a feeling she would never stop though.

LeAnn had become SAMCRO's resident babysitter, and now her group list sometimes included her younger sisters, besides Abel and Opie's kids. Apparently, Dana had taken LeAnn's words to heart and came to see Tig, after he had recovered from getting shot. They talked, civilly for once. And Tig now saw the girls more than once or twice a year. It wasn't every other weekend either, but a happy medium, which worked for everyone. One of the best afternoons they did spend together was getting ice cream, Tig with his three daughters.

LeAnn still got along with every person at SAMCRO. She joked with Clay, Jax, Chibs, Opie, Juice, and Half-Sack constantly. LeAnn hadn't wanted to admit it to herself yet, but she had a little crush on Half-Sack and hoped he would be able to patch in soon. She was a frequent visitor to Gemma and Clay's house and Jax's house and was always around for club parties (though she never once set foot again in Tig's dorm room).

Since she hadn't finished high school in Ohio before she left, she graduated from Charming High School with honors, and she decided to enroll in the local community college and take classes in computers (Juice was thrilled he would now have a counterpart in knowledge).

But after her graduation, Tig had taken her outside the clubhouse party, which was celebrating her graduation. LeAnn thought he once again looked uncomfortable, shades of how he had looked so many times with her. He hadn't given her a present, though LeAnn didn't expect one. But he did give her something, he offered his last name. Since legally, she had never changed her last name from Miller, he would officially take over the reigns as her legal father. And although Tig was never normal in that regard, LeAnn loved him anyway. They were still working on getting used to each other. But they had come a long way in a short time. Tig wasn't exactly a normal father, just as he had promised her. His idea of bonding involved shooting ranges and motorcycle rides, but LeAnn found that worked just fine for her. She now could shoot just as good as some of the Sons, and Gemma and Clay had given LeAnn a motorcycle that she could now ride. She still couldn't call Tig "Dad" to his face yet (except the time in the hospital), but they were both okay with that (she figured she would get there eventually). LeAnn Trager, daughter of Tig Trager and niece to Gemma-Teller Morrow, was now finally where she belonged. People sometimes looked at her strangely when she rode with the Sons and wondered what she saw in them. LeAnn knew what she saw, and she knew what she now had and would never give up. She saw what she never had and had always dreamed of: a real family.

Author's Note: This is a really short chapter, but it was just to wrap up some loose ends. I hope you enjoyed this story! I'm thinking of doing a sequel to this story, which would involve Tig and LeAnn and other Sons, Half-Sack and Juice. Would people be interested? If so, please let me know and thanks for reading!


End file.
